The Sweetest Vice
by The Queen of Mean
Summary: Running from a past that haunts you relentlessly can be exhausting. But what happens when you're so focused on watching behind you that you fail to see what is directly ahead? Joker/OC rated M for sex, language, blood and lust.
1. That Girl In The Window

**The Sweetest Vice**

By

The Queen of Mean

**Author's Note:** Hey! So, this is the new story… permanently. Of course, I used the late great Ledger's version of our dear Joker. 'Grizz' and 'Dotcom' got stolen from 30 Rock which is a great show I recommend watching. I hope everyone enjoys, and I would love some constructive feedback! Happy reading.

Ted Nellings was an accountant. At Gotham City Financing, he was one of their best, having come highly recommended by his father in law, who just happened to be golfing buddies with the CEO. Normally, Ted loved his job, but this Tuesday was turning out to be astonishingly boring. His twentieth floor office was eerily quiet. No phones were ringing off the hook, the fax machines weren't whirring away noisily. Ted leaned back in his leather chair, folding his arms behind his head with a sigh. He rather liked this serene atmosphere.

Ted's eyes had just settled onto a photo of his daughter when, twenty floors below him, several strategically placed bombs were detonated simultaneously. Screams could be heard breaking out through the office as the building began to rock noticeably and Ted Nellings barely had time to stand up from his mahogany desk before the entire building erupted into violent flames, completely engulfing all of its' inhabitants in one fiery mass.

In the deserted parking lot behind Ted Nellings' grave, loud, maniacal laughter carried a chilling undertone to the sound of crunching metal and explosions. The Joker howled with laughter, clutching his ribs, leaning against the side of a black Cadillac as he and his 'assistants' watched the sixty story building come tumbling to the ground.

"Now THAT'S entertainment!" he shouted, still giggling to himself as he climbed into the back of the Cadillac, just as the sound of sirens began to fill the air. "Step on it, Grizz." The large, black man in the driver's seat nodded silently before pulling away from the parking lot.

Gotham was surprisingly traffic-free that Tuesday afternoon and as Joker basked in the blasting air conditioner, he ran a hand through his messy, sweaty hair with a satisfied sigh. "Was that as good for you guys as it was for me?" he asked, grinning sarcastically at his cronies, Grizz and Dotcom in the front seat from the rear view mirror. When they failed to answer him, Joker leaned forward, slapping the backs of their heads hard. "Was it?!" he repeated himself loudly.

"Yeah, Boss. That was good times." Dotcom replied hastily, glancing at Grizz out of the corner of his eye as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

The car grew quiet, the only sound being The Joker as he hummed a tune to himself, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. The black Cadillac was bouncing along fifty-sixth street, between the tall buildings and Joker leaned to the side, into the window to gaze up at one of them. He found it utterly pathetic how skyscrapers take years to put up and yet seconds to take down.

Chuckling to himself on this observation, he stretched his long legs across the backseats to relax a minute before he had to get out of this comfortable car. But as he turned in the seat while the car was stopped at a red light, his eyes fell onto a Starbucks coffee shop and through the window, he met eyes with a young woman glaring directly, intently at him. Her eyes were half-lidded, glazed over wistfully, and something in her directionless, deep gaze tugged at the pit of his stomach, forcing him closer to the opposite car window. His eyes grew wider momentarily as the girl inside the coffee shop blinked, cocking her head to the side slightly as she sat in a purple armchair, gazing out the window.

Joker placed his hand on the glass, hoping she would copy him but instead, she continued to gaze blindly out the window at the stopped traffic, not seeing him for the heavily tinted windows. As the car pulled through the now green light, Joker turned fully in his seat, his face pressed against the glass leaving streaks of makeup as the girl in the window grew smaller and smaller until she disappeared.

"….Jayde…" Someone was calling her name. "Jayde?…" But she didn't really care. "Jayde!!" They sounded mad.

"Huh?" she asked, blinking as she tore herself from a particularly great day dream. Her manager was standing at the counter, staring at her with a highly expectant expression on her face.

"I've been calling your name for like an hour." _That's a bit of an exaggeration. _Jayde thought to herself as she stood up from the comfy chair, brushing off her green apron. "Breaks are ten minutes only, Jayde. You know that."

"Yeah, sorry. I was just-.."

"Dreaming like always. I swear, Jayde, I don't know where you are half the time and you're always right there in front of me."

Jayde rolled her eyes as she threaded her thick, black, curly ponytail through the hole in her hat. Sometimes this place was just too much. There were mornings when Jayde would wake up completely dreading work, for no reason beside having to go through the repetition of it all. A customer walked in and Jayde had to turn her back to allow herself a muttered curse word.

On the other hand, working at Starbucks in Gotham was definitely nice, with the job security since they were in the middle of the business district and everybody knows what a powerful influence coffee has over the business type. Their store was regularly busy and Jayde was exceedingly good at being a barista. But this Tuesday afternoon was proving to be treacherously slow. Fortunately, her shift was nearly over. Just two more hours…

The sun had already set when Jayde took off her apron. She was exhausted from head to toe but knew once she started walking home, her legs would decide to keep going on their own. Her manager had left a few hours prior and only the closers remained.

"Bye, Dean," she called over her shoulder as she opened the front doors. "Bye, Kaity."

The streets of Gotham outside Starbucks were empty. A couple newspapers blew past her on the side walk and Jayde was fleetingly reminded of an old, black and white, ghost town movie. The breeze was just strong enough to be chilling so she wasted no time in beginning her shortcut. The alley she needed to take was only a block away, so she took out her cell phone to call her friend Audrey who answered after maybe a half ring.

"Hello?!" she squealed as though she already knew what Jayde was going to say. Just then, a man in a hoodie sweatshirt walked past, glancing sideways at Jayde, who hesitated before answering Audrey until he had walked on.

"Hi, sugar!" Jayde replied, smiling widely into the phone as she heard her best friend giggle excitedly.

"I miss you!" came Audrey's high pitched voice through the speaker and Jayde sighed deeply.

"I know. I miss you too. It sucks here." Her eyes rolled as she thought about her non-existent social life in Gotham and what she would give to be back with her friends…Not that she had a lot of them back home. Jayde was a fairly antisocial person. She never enjoyed dance clubs or parties, simply because she was more comfortable around a small group of people that she was familiar with. Audrey was pretty much Jayde's only true best friend.

Jayde glanced up as Audrey told her all about her day and she noticed that the entrance to the alley she needed to shortcut was coming up. Glancing both ways, she slipped into it's entrance, staring around in the darkness for anyone lurking in the shadows. Jayde was not necessarily a big girl so she knew it was important to her safety that she not be snuck up on or overpowered…even though she did pack one hell of a punch.

However, this night, her path was clear so once to the end of the alley, she opened the gate, slipping up the path while Audrey finally paused to ask Jayde how her day was.

"It was fine, I guess. Life is just so extraordinarily boring here. Maybe I just haven't met anyone yet. Maybe I should start going out more. It's just that I don't have any friends here and I don't want to look like a loser going out by myself." She breathed all of this into her reply and once she stopped, Audrey paused before her perky voice rang out.

"I don't know what to tell you, Jay-." She said. "Maybe you shouldn't have moved away in the first place." Jayde rolled her eyes while she fished her keys out of her pocket.

"Don't give me that, Audrey. You know I had to…Look, I gotta go.." she had finally made it into her apartment and the mere sight of it made her want to just drop everything and sit down. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Ok, I love you. Bye."

"Bye."

As soon as she had hung up, Jayde tossed her phone onto the bed, immediately pulling her black polo off to get a shower.

The water always started out freezing so while she waited for it to warm up, Jayde stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection as though she had not seen herself in months. Her eyebrows were extra fuzzy, her black hair unkempt and tossed and briefly, Jayde wondered if she even gave a fuck about her appearance anymore. Deep down, she knew she did. She was a woman, a young one at that so there was no need for her to go this long without taking care of her appearance. Her eyes drifted down to her legs where she eyed the overly long hairs there with mingled surprise and disgust.

"Who am I trying to impress anyways?" she mumbled to herself as she grabbed a razor out of her medical cabinet to step into the shower. "…Nobody.." she answered herself moments later, shivering slightly as the hot water began to splatter off her back.

When she crawled into bed a half hour later, Jayde grinned to herself at the slick feeling of her now clean shaven legs against the sheets. She loved the feeling and vowed to never let it go that long again. As she flipped on the TV, the eleven o'clock news was on, playing a story about the demolition of Gotham City Financing that afternoon.

"Crime scene investigators are starting to put the pieces together, starting with the fifty charred drums of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel they found at the base of the wreckage this afternoon. Sources told GCN this afternoon that they believe The Joker, the infamous killer of Commissioner Loeb, is involved…"

On the screen flashed a blurry security photo of a man in all purple, laughing wildly at the camera.

"Again, the police are telling everyone to stay in their homes at night and to not go anywhere by yourself. If you happen to spot The Joker, DO NOT APPROACH HIM. He is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous. Get away and call the police, _immediately_."

Jayde rolled her eyes as she shut the TV off, turning over onto her side. Seven o'clock would come all too early in the morning and she knew exactly how she was going to feel when she woke up.


	2. That Boy With The Eyes

**Author's Note: **I LOVE REVIEWS!!….So leave me some!

Every step Jayde took the next morning reminded her how much she disliked Gotham. She had already stepped in a huge wad of gum leaving her apartment and could now feel her shoe sticking to the pavement with each footfall. Her green apron hung over her shoulder lamely, flapping in the cool morning breeze. Up ahead, she could see Starbucks…_and _ the line of waiting customers that had pushed through the front doors onto the sidewalk. Jayde rolled her eyes heavily as she pushed past them, muttering 'excuse me'.

Fourty minutes later, Jayde could feel sweat beginning to form under the brow of her hat and she took a deep breath as she placed the lid on a drink before handing it off to the customer.

"Have a good day!" she chimed in a hugely false voice as the woman walked away, clutching her latte like it were filled with gold. Jayde sighed, glancing over at the registers. Luckily, only a few more customers remained, so she focused on the drink in front of her, leaning down to grab a jug of milk out of the fridge.

When she stood up, her eyes fell between the espresso machines onto a table at the back of the store where a young man in a hoodie, zip up sweatshirt sat, staring directly at her with an odd smirk on his face, his dark eyes narrowed in somewhat of a glare. The corners of his mouth twitched as Jayde made eye contact with him, and it felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water into her stomach. He was surprisingly handsome so it came as no surprise to Jayde that she had to look away to keep him from seeing her blush. She grinned down at the white mocha latte in front of her, wondering when this mystery man came in and how she failed to notice him. Then again, the hood to his sweatshirt was up over his head and he hadn't ordered a drink. Maybe he slipped in during the rush…

Moments later, Jayde had finished the drink she was working on and looked up, ashamed that her eyes immediately flew to the corner where the man had been sitting.

He was gone.

Jayde frowned, setting the drink on the counter. That was odd, she thought. She was absolutely positive she hadn't imagined him and yet there was no sign of him anywhere in the store. She shrugged, rolling her eyes. He probably got tired of watching her…Jayde prided herself on being extra disinteresting.

Her day passed just as uneventfully as all the rest of them had since moving to Gotham. Customers came and went all day, leaving frugal tips, if at all, not bothering to say thank you, and just being generally rude. By the time her shift was over at one o'clock, Jayde was more than ready to flip off the next person to walk through the front doors.

She sighed heavily as she removed her hat outside, glancing overhead at the glaring sun as though she had not seen it in years. And from the look of her porcelain, cream skin, she most certainly had not. Luckily enough, her apartment had a balcony overlooking the streets with perfect access to the sun's most potent rays.

Back at her apartment fifteen minutes later, Jayde was knelt in front of her dresser, throwing clothes behind her carelessly while she rifled through the drawers, positive that she had packed a bathing suit in the move. And sure enough, after a ten minute search, at the bottom of her top drawer sat Jayde's favorite black bikini; the one she only wore when she was absolutely alone and no one could see her.

As she stared at herself in her body mirror once in the bikini, Jayde sighed, pinching her waist with two fingers. That one roll…That one little grip of pudge that she had tried so hard to rid herself of was resting between her fingers and she frowned, turning to the side to do the same thing to her butt. She had always been told she had one of the cutest asses but as she stood there and stared at it, she could not see what others did. It was way too round and the slightest bit too wide but it was her curse. Her mother had had the same butt and had it all the way up until the time she died. Jayde was stuck with it.

On the balcony, after laying out her little lawn chair, Jayde stretched her arms over her head, pulling her black mass of messy curls into a high ponytail, her eyes scanning the street below. Gothamites scurried hurriedly along their way, not paying her any mind; exactly the way she liked it. Jayde grinned contentedly to herself as she lay down in the warm sun, deciding that maybe Gotham wasn't so bad after all…for now.

The next day happened to be Jayde's only day off that week. Her manager had been giving her more hours lately since budget cuts had required they let a few people go. Jayde didn't complain; she liked the extra money but it definitely didn't leave her much time to herself. So this one day off had to be the day where she got all her errands run.

After an especially long trip to the grocery store, Jayde dropped the bags off at home but headed straight back out with a desire to visit the bookstore she had spotted on her way. With a couple good books, Jayde would be more than happy to stay home during her free time. Going out was not really her thing…

A small, gold bell over the door chimed as Jayde stepped inside the store, glancing at the counter awkwardly as the young woman behind it snapped her head up to see who it was. Obviously disappointed, the girl sighed audibly, going back to her magazine. Eyebrows furrowed, Jayde stepped further into the store, rolling her eyes. Biographies and map books aligned the front shelves and Jayde avoided these, heading straight for the mystery fiction sections. Nothing screamed stay at home all night like a good suspenseful novel and as Jayde began to peruse the titles, she shifted her messenger bag from one shoulder to the other, tucking her hair behind her ear to kneel down.

Somewhere far off, the bell over the door dinged again. Now thumbing through titles, Jayde was into her own world, picking out ones she had heard of or read before, pulling each one off the shelf to read the summary on the back. Her eyes flickered over the books as she moved down the aisle, sighing when nothing seemed to catch her eye. She had reached the J's by now but happened to spot a particularly interesting mystery titled 'Justice by Murder'. Pulling it from it's place, Jayde ducked her head to read the back but only made it through a few words when a familiar sensation began to creep up on her. Someone was watching her.

Looking up, she glanced around for a moment before moving to place the book back on the shelf. As she did this, however, through the shelf, two brown eyes met her hazel ones and that bucket of ice water tipped into her stomach once again. She recognized those eyes immediately and the sensation they brought; the expression there was the same as it had been the day before in Starbucks. He was smirking and she knew it although she could only see his eyes and the top of his nose. The corners of his eyes were wrinkled slightly and he blinked placidly before Jayde had to look away momentarily.

Seeing him twice in two days in a city of nearly 10 million people was either a huge coincidence or… Jayde only wanted to consider the first option.

"Hi." She said quietly through the shelf, glancing down at the book in her hand. "I'm-.." Jayde would have continued when she looked up, but the small window in the shelf showed no one on the other side. Now confused and slightly unnerved, she ran down the aisle to the next one over where the handsome man had been but found it was perfectly empty.

After looking through the entire store and finding no sign of the man anywhere, Jayde's heart began to pound furiously in her chest. She could _not _ have imagined him. The young woman at the counter looked up as Jayde practically ran to it, slightly breathless.

"Did you see a tall guy in a hoodie sweatshirt just leave?" she asked, trying her best not to sound frantic. The woman popped her gum, shrugging as she looked back down at her magazine.

"I dunno…Wasn't paying attention." She answered.

The bell rang again as Jayde ran outside onto the sidewalk, into a throng of people, looking right and left. She sighed moments later, running a hand through the front of her hair. He was gone again but Jayde was beginning to feel that it would not be the last time she saw him.


	3. The Greater of Two Evils

**Author's Note:** I wanted to say thanks to my Beta (s), Andra and Kiharu, for listening to all my rantings on about this story and for proofing the chapters. You guys help A LOT. And thanks to everyone for reading and keeping up with me. lol

Jayde's eyes gazed at the TV screen although she wasn't really watching. The sound was not even on and yet she was still staring at it as though she were totally absorbed by what was happening. Her mind kept teasing her by replaying images of those brown eyes glaring, staring, gazing back at her from the other side of that bookcase. Part of her was excited by this mystery man and yet another small part of her felt like she should take this with a grain of salt. He could not be following her because that would mean he would have to be interested in her, think there was something special. She scoffed loudly to herself, rolling her eyes as she let her head fall onto the back of the couch. _Yeah right…_she thought. _Probably just a coincidence. _

Several hours later, Jayde found herself in the kitchen, cooking pasta for dinner when her cell phone rang from the counter. From the caller ID, she saw that it was her co-worker Michael and frowned before answering.

"Hey, what's up?" she answered, knowing he was about to ask her to work for him.

"Hey, Jayde. I was just calling to see if you wanted to switch shifts tomorrow. I'm supposed to close and you're supposed to open, but…" he paused and Jayde was positive she could hear him crossing his fingers and dancing around in the background. "It's just that there's this game on at 7…and…"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll work for you." She agreed halfheartedly, rolling her eyes as Michael sighed from the other end of the line.

"Oh, thank you, Jayde. You're the best!"

"You're-" Click. He hung up. "…Welcome?"

The next day, Jayde got herself ready at three o'clock to go to work but paused while pulling on her shirt in the mirror, her eyes falling onto a long scar that ran down her side from her armpit to her hip. The scar was now raised and faded but appeared pale and visible against her newly, pink sunburned skin. The cut had been deep, so deep she was sure she could feel it touching her ribs as it had traveled down her side. She shivered, tugging her black polo down quickly as the ghost of pain graced her skin again. But she was away from that now; she was still safe.

Sweat beaded and collected on Jayde's forehead as she mopped the floors later that evening at Starbucks, her eyes following the back and forth motions of her arms. Her shoulders were killing her at this point and when she stopped finally, she groaned, reaching up to massage the muscles. As she did this, a tall man walked by outside, his shoulders hunched slightly, his curly, blonde hair pulled back into a small ponytail. He glanced into the window, meeting eyes with Jayde for a split moment before he turned his head, staring down at his feet as he walked. She noticed but turned away, thankful that he had not come inside. It was nearly closing time and Jayde really wanted to go home.

Eleven-thirty rolled around and as Jayde and Dean stood outside, they locked the doors, high-fiving over an early finish.

"Let's see, it was midnight last time. We set a new record!" he said, grinning, tucking his hands into his pockets a bit awkwardly. "You alright to walk home by yourself?" he asked, eyeing her warily. She nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, I do it all the time. I'll be fine. See you later, Dean." With that, she turned, tugging her messenger bag closer to her hip to begin walking. Again tonight the breeze was chilling so Jayde hunched her shoulders, folding her arms over her chest to walk against the wind.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in the silence but as she reached the end of the block and stopped, her ears picked up the sound of another set of footsteps, wider, longer in stride. An all too familiar sinking feeling in her chest tugged at her so as nonchalantly as she could, Jayde peered around her mess of black curls behind her. A tall man in a hoodie sweatshirt was only twenty yards away and closing quickly. _No way…There is no way this is happening.._ she thought to herself as she stepped out into the intersection.

Her heart began to hammer at the inside of her ribcage instantly and a sense of dread filled her stomach with what felt like solid lead. She began walking again but only got halfway across the intersection when she choked on her breath.

"Hey!" he had shouted, as if he was her friend trying to catch up. But Jayde did not stop. Instead she broke into a full on sprint and to her horror, the stalker did too.

The turn for her shortcut to the back of her apartment complex was coming up and Jayde figured that if she could at least get down that alley, she could hide somewhere along the shadowed walls, behind a dumpster. Hanging a sharp left, she ducked into the alley, constantly looking behind her. It was difficult to walk with her legs shaking uncontrollably in the first place, but as Jayde walked backwards down the alley, her eyes trained on the entrance, she might as well have crawled. With only a few more yards until the fence and no sign of her pursuer, Jayde turned to start running again but instead ran straight into a tall, hard figure. The scent of gasoline and cologne hit her nostrils in a vague but noticeable whiff and staggering backward, she looked up, an entirely new, deeper sense of dread filling her. Two strong, gloved hands grabbed her wrists tightly, preventing her from falling flat on her back.

"Well, well…What do we have here, hm?" came a quiet, sadistic voice from the tall figure before her and as Jayde looked up into the shadows, her newest captor pulled her closer. Jayde's mouth opened slightly as her eyes raked across the face of the monster she instantly recognized as the man on her TV from a few nights ago. It seemed impossible, but it was him and a lump swelled up in Jayde's throat as she realized how _fucked_ she truly was.

"_Again, the police are telling everyone to stay in their homes at night and to not go anywhere by yourself…"_

The greasepaint makeup on his face wrinkled in certain areas as he grinned, turning her away from him, releasing one of her wrists for a split second.

"Well, well, If it isn't the _ba-ris-ta…" _he murmured darkly in her ear, reaching in front of her again to shove something into her hands. "Ya know, we've really gotta stop running into each other like this…" In all her panic, Jayde's mind allowed one moment of confusion before it was muddied by the sound of her frantic heartbeat.

Where they were standing, several awnings shielded them from the moons' light, shrouding them in darkness. Her pursuer was peering around at the other end of the alley and it wasn't until Jayde looked down did she realize he had just put a gun in her hands. For a moment, she considered screaming to him that The Joker had caught her and that she needed help. But then again, he would probably just run for his own life.

"Kill 'im." he commanded in a deep voice, removing his hands from hers to replace them at her hips. Jayde nearly gasped out loud but instead lamely leaned back against The Joker's chest in what she considered shock. He grabbed her arms with an irritated growl, roughly moving her back into place. "Now." He demanded, bristling and Jayde gave no second thought before pulling the trigger.

The bang was tremendous, rattling her entire body and Jayde watched in horror as the man at the end of the alley cried out, falling to the ground. "Wh-…What did you just make me do?! I just killed that guy!" she practically screamed, but the tall figure behind her clamped his gloved hand over her mouth tightly.

"And you're an _excellent _shot. Now…" he turned her in his arms slowly, backing her up until her back met the brick wall of the alley, his hand gripping her upper arms. "Let's get you home, shall we?" Jayde gasped in pain as her captor shook her once, hard, knocking her head into the wall behind her. She groaned as her vision blurred before fading into a painful, obscure blackness.

When she woke, seemingly days later, Jayde's eyes were at the back of her head, and they rolled lethargically as she opened them, immediately groaning. Sunlight was streaming into her room through every possible opening, making her splitting headache that much worse. It hurt to move any part of her body that this point, so she lifted her head to see where she was laying but cried out as a sharp pain traveled through her entire body from the back of her head.

Raising a hand, she gingerly placed it over the huge goose egg that had formed itself over night, but when she looked at her fingertips, there was no blood. Jayde sighed, rolling over onto her stomach to push herself up to a kneeling position. Looking around, she found that however The Joker got her there, he had lay her in the middle of her bed on her back. After one sickening notion, Jayde's eyes flew to her jeans, hoping the button was still fastened and that her belt was still at his normal notches…and it was. She sighed again, amazed with how relieved she was feeling even after The Joker had…"kidnapped" her? It just didn't make sense that he would knock her out to simply bring her home, untouched.

As she stood up from the bed, she stumbled slightly, still squinting at the bright, morning sunlight. Once her eyes had adjusted, however, she looked about her room, again noting how everything seemed to be unmoved and in its proper place. If it weren't for the bump on the back of her head, Jayde might have suspected she _dreamed_ encountering The Joker; there was certainly no evidence of him being in her apartment. This remained true until her eyes fell onto a long-stemmed red rose, thorns and all, lying on her dresser, atop a note.

When she picked it up, slanted, messy writing was scrawled across the paper.

"_Roses are red, Bruises are blue_

_And if you'll notice, there aren't any on you!_

_Let's keep this discrete, so the next time we meet,_

_I wont have to leave any nasty knots on the back of that pretty little head of yours..._

_Love __**always**_**,**_ Joe Kerr"_


	4. Ashes, Ashes

**Author's Note: **Again, everyone thanks for reading. It's been tough staying motivated for this story and the reviews and adds definitely help me keep writing. I love the feedback. Oh, and I forgot to add a disclaimer at the beginning so here it is; I do not own Batman, the Dark Knight, or The Joker. However, any original characters (Jayde) are courtesy of yours truly (me).

Jayde stumbled about her apartment all afternoon, nursing the bump on her head with ice after she had called out of work. She was feeling a bit queasy from the knot underneath her hair and figured it would not have been a good idea for her to stand up all day, working. The phone conversation with her manager had not gone as smoothly as planned, having asked all sorts of questions as to why Jayde could not work, seeing how she had not missed one day since moving to Gotham. Jayde did not tell her the truth.

"_I'm just not feeling well at all today. I'm pretty sure a good night's sleep will do the trick…" _ she had lied lamely, glancing at the scribbled note from the Joker in her hand.

For some reason or another, Jayde kept stealing glances at the thorny rose on her dresser. No one, especially a boy, had ever given her a rose and although it had come from the most dangerous criminal in Gotham, it still caught her eye as though she could not believe it. She supposed she should feel more scared, more threatened by this sudden onset of affection from a murderer, but other than knock her out, the Joker had apparently not done one thing to hurt her. In fact, he kind of gave her a lift home…She was guessing it was an odd sight to see her limp body thrown over his shoulder and she wondered vaguely if anyone saw him and just decided they were better off not doing anything about it…as long as wasn't _them _ tossed over that shoulder.

There was one thing from the previous night that stood out in her mind, however, and for the life of her, she could not forget the way his deep, chilling voice had sounded so closely in her ear. It still gave her goosebumps if she thought about it too hard.

_"Ya know, we've really gotta stop running into each other like this."_

No where in the time of her living in Gotham could Jayde remember running into The Joker and she was positive she would remember such an instance as that; The Joker was kind of unforgettable. In her mind flashed the dark brown eyes she had seen in Starbucks and the bookstore, but she shook her head every time this notion came to mind. There was no way it was him. He didn't have any makeup on and she couldn't remember seeing any scars…

But, if there was one thing that really bothered her, it was the rhyme in his note. _'So the next time we meet…'_ There was no question about this. They _were _ going to run into each other again; the Joker was going to make sure of it. Jayde just hoped she would know when and where before she got there.

The following day, when Jayde got ready for work, she found herself a bit hesitant to leave the aparment as Joker's note kept floating up to the front of her mind. When she opened the front door, she poked her head out, looking left and right, up and down the hallway as if she were expecting him to be standing right there with that evil grin on his face. But he was not and the hallway was as empty as ever, so she stepped out, ready to walk to work, admittedly a bit faster than she normally would have done.

Jayde walked the entire way with peeled eyes, looking over her shoulder every minute or so, hoping no one was behind her. And no one was, but once she reached Starbucks, she still slipped inside quickly, glancing at everyone in the store, half-expecting either her mystery man or The Joker to be there. Once she had convinced herself that they were not there and were not going to see her ever again, she sighed, tossing the strap to her apron over her head to tie the strings behind her back.

The green apron and hat Jayde was made to wear at work was not flattering to her figure in any sense of the word. The ties to the apron met her back right above the curve of her hips, giving her an odd, pear-shaped appearance. But it was only work; she only had to wear it once a day and again, she didn't know anybody, therefore did not need to _impress_ anybody. It was _only_ work.

However, when Jayde walked over to the espresso machines to begin making drinks, her hands slid into the two pockets on the front of her apron, but she gasped, yanking her right one back out. There was something soft and mushy in her pocket and for a second, she felt like she might pass out. But once she realized whatever it was actually smelled good, she slowly reached her hand back in to pull out a small bundle of white flowers. Jayde frowned, glancing around as she gingerly placed her nose against one, inhaling. It smelled beautiful but as she slipped her hand back into the pocket, a slip of paper slid between her fingers.

Unfolding it, her heart seemed to stop beating altogether as her eyes instantly recognized the messy, slanted writing.

_"Ring around the rosy, Pocket full of posies, Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" _

Her eyes gazed at the note, clutching her pocket of posies until her co-workers voice snapped her back to the present. "Oooh! Who are those from?" she squealed, walking over but Jayde shoved the note back into her pocket while her fist clenched around the flowers, tossing them into the trashcan.

"No one. Just a stupid joke from a friend." Most of that was true…save for the 'friend' part…

That night, Jayde was finding it exceedingly difficult to sleep as her body kept replaying the jarring sensation of the gun going off in her hand. It was not the first one she had fired but it was most certainly the first time she had ever hit a human target. She wondered vaguely if the body was still laying there in the alley.

While she slept, her slumber yielded all sorts of bizarre dreams in which men in purple outfits were chasing her through the streets, laughing hysterically as she screamed for help. The faces that passed her gazed blankly ahead as though they could not hear or see her, but she could not stop; he was right on her heels the entire time. If she were to stop, he would be right there.

When Jayde woke the next morning, her pillow and clothing were damp and she was drenched in sweat from her night of fitful sleep. As she sat up, she shivered, blinking furiously, feeling as though she had not slept at all the previous night. Her body was exhausted from head to toe and as her eyes fell onto her reflection in the body mirror next to her bed, she sighed when she noticed the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. But she got up to get dressed, regardless of how tired her body kept telling her she was.

Work was as boring and repetitive as ever and once she had made it back to her building, Jayde groaned loudly in exasperation when she found the elevators to her apartment complex were conveniently out of order. After standing up all day, walking up three flights of stairs was pretty much the last thing she wanted to do. A large red, scribbled sign on the doors told her that she had no choice, so she continued down the hall to the stairwell to begin climbing to the third floor. When she opened the door, however, her heart leapt to her throat as her eyes fell onto the stairs, on each of which sat a playing card, leading up. She did not need to look very closely to see what they were but each one held a different design of a Joker, some dancing, some laughing, some even crying. But after she had made it up the first flight, she began picking them up, glancing at each one. There was nothing written on them and by the time she reached the third floor, the trail of cards stopped at the door to the hallway. The stack of cards in her hand was fairly thick and she clutched them tightly as she walked slowly down to her door, gripping her keys in case her new 'friend' decided to sneak up on her. The keys weren't that sharp but she figured if she stabbed hard enough, it might break some skin.

When she reached her door, she found it locked so she fumbled with her keys to unlock it as quickly as she could with trembling hands, all the while glancing up and down the hallway. Panic was beginning to spread through her like some disease but once she made it inside, she bolted the door, sighing as she rested against it. It was dark in the living room and once Jayde was positive she was alone, she stepped into the middle of the room but nearly slipped on something slick and smooth. Again, her stomach clenched up as she jumped out from the middle of the room, practically knocking her lamp over while she fumbled to turn it on.

Light flooded the room, illuminating the massive puddle of Joker cards that had been seemingly strewn all over the room. From the way they covered the entire carpet, it looked as though he had _come into her apartment_, which she could not understand, and dumped some sort of bucket of cards all over the place. Her head was spinning but of course, there was more.

When she had jumped out of the middle of the cards, her shoe had forced a void, revealing a piece of paper under the pile on which blazed that all too familiar slanted writing. The ink on this note was red, differentiating from the others which had been written in black. She considered not reading it and just burning all the cards, but Jayde found she could not help herself. The letters were bigger and more violent, angry this time, some of them underlined and bold.

"_Jayde, I'm really_ _**hurt**__ that you did not like my posies yesterday. I figured a pretty flower for a pretty girl would make you smile, but __you did not smile__, Jayde. When I see you, it would be in your best interest to __**smile**__ at me. _

_Love __**always**_**, **_Joe Kerr"_

Chills washed over Jayde violently and for a moment, she felt like fleeing her apartment, but she remembered one sickening moment later that she had no where to go and where ever The Joker was waiting for her, he was most certainly out there, lurking, waiting for her to mess up. But when she ran into her bedroom to the bottom drawer of her dresser to find her taser, just in case he came back, an audible sob of dread escaped her lips; it was gone.


	5. Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object

_**Author's Note: **__There was a while today where I considered deleting this story. I was not enjoying writing it. In fact, I had absolutely no intention on even writing a fifth chapter. But I realized that although it doesn't really seem like much, this story has potential and I like to believe that people enjoy reading what I write. So I kept at it and this is what came of it. __I would really like some reviews and feedback.__ Without them, it feels kinda like a waste of time and I really do, deep down, want to continue writing this story. So give me a reason to!_ : D

Jayde's heart was ready to explode as it banged relentlessly against her ribcage the next morning. She had just walked out of her bedroom, through the living room after another sleepless night full of nightmares and was standing in the front doorway, staring in mingled disbelief and dread at the white, long-stemmed rose that was sitting on her doorstep. The tips of the petals were coated in a deep, glistening red but there was no note to go along with this particular endowment. Jayde felt something almost like relief at this; she was not ready for another one of Joker's twisted poems.

She knelt to pick it up after staring at the rose for several minutes as though it were about to jump up and bite her. But as she lifted it from the carpet, the red liquid that coated the tips of the petals dripped down the stem, onto her fingers and down her wrist. Jayde stifled a scream the best she could, flinging the rose onto her kitchen counter as she realized that this liquid was not ink or dye, but blood that was still warm and shiny. Her stomach churned violently but she held back the urge to vomit and instead looked outside on the floor again only to find a small circle of blood where the rose had lay. The rose ended up in the trashcan again and Jayde ignored the small voice in the back of her head that told her it was probably a bad idea. It seemed The Joker was watching her every move even though she was quite alone and that was the scariest part about him; he had eyes everywhere.

That afternoon, Jayde called out of work again, not wanting to come home to more 'gifts'; she figured if she stayed here all day, The Joker would not come…Either that, or he would come anyways and she would just be here to greet him…finally find out what his fascination was with her and why he was so keen on bothering her with his stupid flowers and creepy notes.

That whole day, she did nothing. She did not leave once and surprisingly, her apartment stayed quiet. There were no odd knocks at the door, no bells ringing; even her cell phone was silent. When she got a shower that evening, she found her mind slightly more at ease, thinking that well, she had been home all day long, giving Joker plenty of chances to come and get her or whatever he wanted with her and still he had not shown up. A small part of her admitted it's disappointment since she would have known for sure what it was he wanted from her but the huge part of her was relieved.

However, after her shower, Jayde's foot had just barely touched the cold tile outside the tub when her doorbell rang. That familiar choking sensation her heart produced when it jumped to her throat filled her again and Jayde assumed her worst nightmare had just come true. As was common for Jayde, she had spoken too soon.

She threw clothing on two pieces at a time, hobbling around in her room, struggling to get dressed before The Joker decided it was time to just let himself in. But by the time she was dressed, the bell had rung again and she ran to the kitchen, fumbling through the drawers for a knife or anything sharp for that matter. As she approached the door, Jayde found herself almost hesitant to look through the peep hole, knowing what she would see on the other side. She was going to see that hideous, red, scarred smile grinning at her from the other side while those two, cold eyes glared directly at her but as she rose onto her tip toes to peer out, she sighed loudly, rolling her eyes at her own paranoia, dropping the knife to the carpet.

A young, red-haired man in glasses stood on the other side, glancing around awkwardly, several of his fuzzy curls sticking out from under the sides of his FedEx hat. His uniform held the same logo and as Jayde opened the door, he grinned, holding out a box wrapped in plain brown paper with a hemp string tied sloppily around it.

"Hi, I have a package for…" his eyes scanned down the clipboard he was holding. "Jayde Connor?"

"Yeah, that's me. Who is it from?" she asked, taking the box from the man as he glanced back at his clipboard with an arched eyebrow. She frowned while he searched for the name; the box in her arms was slightly warm.

"Uh…It's from a Mister Joe?" he shrugged, tucking the clipboard back under his arm as Jayde's face noticeably fell…she knew that name. "Well, have a good day, miss!" he called over his shoulder, immediately walking away.

"Wait, don't I need to sign something?" she called after him, stepping out into the hall, watching curiously as the man waved his hand over his shoulder.

"Nope! Have a good one!"

At the kitchen counter, Jayde used her previously discarded knife to cut the strings binding the box while she stayed a couple steps back in case it was going to explode or something. But it did not and instead remained completely inactive until Jayde moved a bit closer to take the lid off. It was a shoe box that appeared to have been spray painted purple and inside sat a layer of green tissue paper hiding something bulky underneath. When Jayde pulled the tissue out to reveal it's contents, a gasp preceded a loud scream that resonated from the very depths of her lungs. Inside the box sat a real, bloody _human_ heart. And there was no mistaking this; Jayde had taken enough anatomy classes in high school to immediately recognize the organ and it's many tubes. She slammed the lid to the box back over it, shutting her eyes to quell the nauseating feeling in her body and she took a deep breath.

This was the final straw. After throwing the entire box in her trashcan, she tied up the bag, doubled it and threw it outside on her balcony until she could take it downstairs in the daylight. Tomorrow, she was going to work with that knife in her bag. If The Joker showed up, he would have one hell of a fight on his hands and if he killed her in the process, she swore to herself she would take him with her.

Jayde walked to work the next day, not glancing behind her once. Her body was exhausted by fear and she had reached the point where she was ready to stop being scared and start fighting, start getting some answers. That long kitchen knife was tucked into her messenger bag and every time it bounced against her leg, the security of knowing she was going to use it in a worst case scenario helped settle her mind. She would be working with Dean and Michael that night, closing and knew that they would help her if anything were to go awry.

That entire shift, every time the doors swung open to Starbucks, Jayde's head snapped up but once she noted that the customer was not, in fact, The Joker, she would look away, ashamed that she felt slightly disappointed. In her mind, these scenarios kept playing themselves out, working her up to the point where she was ready to jump the next person to look at her. Getting all fired up over nothing was one thing Jayde was familiar with. Her mind would come up with all these situations in which she came out the victor but once they would actually occur, she would be disappointed to find that nothing even remotely close to what she had imagined would happen.

Several hours of slow work passed and the sun had set outside, the tall buildings of Gotham casting awkward shadows on the ground as the last of the light for the day was doused. The streetlamps had flickered on all along the street and as Jayde watched the outside lights come on for Starbucks' patio, Dean called to her.

"Jayde, I'm going to go wash dishes. Michael is doing the bathrooms so call us if you need anything." He said over his shoulder as he rounded the corner to the back room. Moments after he disappeared, the doors swung open and an older man in a business suit walked in, smiling genially. Jayde looked up quickly only to return the smile genuinely. It was the first time in days she had seen a natural, friendly grin.

"Hi there." She greeted him, walking up to the registers to lean against the pastry case casually. "What can I get for ya?"

His eyes slid up to the menu behind and above Jayde and he sighed, running a flustered hand through his hair. "Well, I just got let go from my job and I need a picker-upper…" From the vexed expression in his eyes, his day had been less than kind to him and Jayde felt sorry as he forced a smile anyway. "What can you recommend?"

She took a deep breath, glancing behind her. "Well, there's always the sugary stuff but…" her eyes flickered over his appearance and she sighed, cocking her head to the side. "You look like you could just use a good old fashioned, free cup of coffee." She answered, allowing another heart-felt smile onto her face as he did the same.

"You're too kind."

When she turned to get the cup and pour the coffee, she vaguely heard the doors open again but a split moment later, a loud, jarring gunshot rang through the store and something warm splattered all over her arm and the coffee brewers. Jayde screamed, throwing her arms over her head as she sank to the ground, somehow managing not to spill the man's coffee, although it didn't really matter; his body had fallen onto the counter, a huge, gaping hole in his head as his blood drained all over it.

"Gooooood Ev-en-ing, Starbucks employees!" came a loud, clowny, evil voice from the other side of the counter that she immediately recognized and the man's body slid off the counter onto the floor as it was thrown there. Through her panic, Jayde managed to look up and half of The Joker's tall figure leaned over the counter, his gloved hands resting between the registers as that haunting, chilling grin stretched his ugly scars. "Well, whatcha doin' down there, sweetie?" he asked in a high-pitched, fasely sugary voice as he glared down at the hunched Jayde on the floor.

Of course, at hearing the noise, Dean and Michael had run out into the store and several things happened all at once; Michael let out a shout of panic, turning to run back into the bathrooms but The Joker was too quick. One gun-shot to the back later, Michael cried out and was on the floor, bleeding to death. Nearly the same fate befell Dean and tears reached Jayde's eyes as she looked down the floor at his open, dead eyes as he gazed, expressionless, back at her. This scenario was not working out the way she had imagined it so many times earlier that day.

"Get. UP." The Joker growled, again resting his hands and the warm gun on the counter. Jayde obeyed, slowly, but as she stood, her hand grabbed the full cup of two-hundred degree coffee and she threw it at him…but missed as The Joker side-stepped, hitting the absolutely massive black man she had failed to see behind him. He bellowed in pain, clutching his blistering face as The Joker burst into loud, manic cackles, wagging a finger at her.

"A fighter! I like. It.." he growled but one swift movement later, he had swung himself over the counter and now had Jayde pinned against the coffee brewers, her long black ponytail clenched tightly in his fist. That deadly scent of gasoline and cologne hit her nose again and her stomach churned. "You aren't smiling, Jayde…" he said in her ear in a dark, menacing voice, much unlike the one he had just used to greet her. His eyes rolled to the ceiling as he moved closer to speak into her ear as if telling her a secret. "I _thought_ I told you to smile when you saw me…"

A knife had materialized in his hand seemingly by magic and as the cold., metal blade touched her neck, Jayde sobbed quietly, closing her eyes.

"W-what's the matter?" he asked in that overly false, sarcastic voice. "You didn't like my heart?…Ya know, it's not everyday I give something like that to a beautiful girl like yourself…" One of his hands released her and instead, he forced his knee between her thighs to keep her pinned while that hand slid around her to the small of her back, forcing her hips closer to his. "…and you _are_ beautiful…"

Jayde's breath hitched in the back of her throat as the knife pressed closer against her throat but she did not move, afraid it would pierce her skin with the slightest nudge.

"W-why me?" she whispered in a question, her eyes now opening, although she wished she hadn't once her vision focused. His face was inches from hers and his soft leather glove gripped her bottom jaw tightly.

"Ah, ah, ah, there will be plenty of time for questions _later.." _he tossed his arm, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "The police are on their way to a call that the pretty little girl who works at Starbucks just shot the place up and that gun right there?…" he grinned, pointing over his shoulder at the metal gun on the counter behind them. "…It's covered in your prints. _So…_You could escape with me_ or…_ spend the rest of your life. In. Jail. "

Through clenched teeth, Jayde growled. "I'll take my chances." A rapid change from an expression of amusement to something like anger overtook his painted features and The Joker grabbed her by the neck, throwing her to the floor near the end of the back line.

"Wrong answer, Jayde. See, I thought you might say something like that…" he walked over as she cowered on the floor, just a foot or so from Dean's body and his hand fisted into her hair again, dragging her along the floor. She reached up, trying to grab his wrist as she kicked. "_Luckily, _I have no problem using force." He chuckled once he had gotten her around the corner into the store and knelt to lean down and lift her to her feet. "In fact, I kinda prefer it!" His laugh turned into manic cackles once more as she was dragged out onto the sidewalk and thrown into a waiting van, away from her messenger bag and away from that knife.


	6. The Name Of The Game

**Author's Note: **I'm as surprised by this triple post as you are…trust me. Reviews please!!! I'll scratch yours if you scratch mine…. : D

Jayde was vaguely aware of several things as the dark, windowless van bounced out onto the street, pulling away from Starbucks. First, she noticed that the two front seats were occupied but The Joker had chosen to ride in the back with her. Second, she noticed that there were no back windows to this van, leaving the back area dark although she really did not take the time to look too closely at her surroundings; The Joker was still practically on top of her, trying to catch her hands but Jayde was fighting him with everything she had, aware of his soft, breathless laughing. He was mocking her, enjoying her efforts and this brought more tears to her eyes as he struggled to turn her over onto her stomach.

Her fist collided hard with what she assumed was his shoulder and he growled irritably as he snatched her wrist before forcing both of them into one of his large, gloved hands. The other, unoccupied hand pulled back, formed a fist and made contact with her jaw, knocking her head into the hard floor of the van, causing bright, sparkling stars to flash in her vision. Jayde sobbed, giving in to let him turn her over onto her stomach. She was expecting the worst at this point but allowed him to pull her hands behind her back regardless.

The sound of clanking metal met her ears and as the cold handcuffs linked around her wrists, Jayde let her head rest on the bottom of the van, trying to catch her breath. Joker was pulling her back up into a sitting position against the wall of the moving van, scooting closer so he could kneel in front of her.

"Jayde, I don't _want _to hurt you, but you're making it kinda _diff-i-cult…" _His voice was quiet and low as the backs of his gloved fingers stroked her cheek in a falsely gentle manner before he yanked her Starbucks hat from her head, releasing her ponytail so her black hair cascaded over her shoulders. "Muuuuuch better…" he growled in a whisper, his eyes raking over her face and down her neck to the buttons of her black polo.

"You don't _want_ me to hurt you, Jayde, do you?" he asked, scooting closer to switch open his knife and place it against her neck. She did not answer him but cried out as he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "DO YOU?!" he asked again, shouting this time and Jayde sobbed, shaking her head. "Good girl. I didn't think so." He sat down next to her, leaning against the side wall as his arm rested lazily on her leg while he stretched out comfortably. "Grizz, head back to her place."

Jayde could hear The Joker humming off-key in a low voice to himself as his fingers traced random patterns on her knee, leaving an uncomfortable tingle wherever they fell. She closed her eyes to try and imagine that she was not sitting in a van, handcuffed next to The Joker but no matter where she tried to imagine she was, his touch was enough to remind her of his presence. She knew the ride from Starbucks back to her apartment would not last long and before she could even think about it, the van was screeching to a halt. Joker moved forward, sliding open the back door to reveal the wall that ran along the back of her building and once he had stepped out, he reached back inside, grabbing her ankle. "C'mon, princess." He growled, dragging her toward him and Jayde did not fight but whimpered in pain at his vice-like grip.

"Wait here. We'll be back in ten…" he murmured to the large, blistered black man in the front passenger seat who scowled murderously at Jayde as she swayed next to The Joker.

He pushed her toward the back doors of the complex rather roughly but caught her cuffed hands to prevent her from falling on her face. "Wow, you are _clumbsy_!" he exclaimed with a laugh, opening the door for her to follow her inside. The basement level was empty at this time of night but Joker could seemingly read Jayde's mind as thoughts of screaming for help began to flog her conscious. "Try any funny stuff and I _swear _it will be the last noise you make." He threatened darkly in her ear, sliding his hand between hers as they rested against her backside while she walked. She shuddered, disgusted, at the feel of his hand against her but began to climb the stairs as he pushed her toward them.

On the third floor, although Jayde had been praying for someone to be out in the hallway, it was empty and she stumbled as Joker now began walking beside her, hooking his arm with hers. She glanced up at him, noting his appearance for the first time in the light. He was much taller than she remembered him being in the alley, his shoulders broad. The white makeup he wore stopped at his defined jaw line and she found that it appeared dirty, splotched in areas. His green dye job was faded into an acidic color, showing off his dirty blonde roots. He must have sensed her watching him for he looked down, grinning evilly at her.

"See somethin' ya like?" he asked quietly and Jayde rolled her eyes in disgust before she could catch herself. Joker's hand slapped the back of her head hard and she groaned, stumbled forward a couple steps as they reached the door to her apartment. Just as she was about to ask how they were supposed to get in without her keys, Joker produced a large ring of keys, thumbing through them until he found the one that matched Jayde's door. Her stomach sank to the ground as she realized that was how he was getting into her place. It all made sense now; he had made a copy while she was unconscious that first night.

Inside, Joker locked the door behind them before pulling a smaller set of tiny keys from an inside pocket of his purple overcoat to unlock the handcuffs. He seemingly knew that Jayde wasn't going to fight him once he let her loose and he had been right. Her entire body felt weak and she did not see the point in wasting more energy when she knew he was leagues stronger than her.

"Ever been…uh…kidnapped before, Jayde?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders to walk her into her bedroom. He laughed when Jayde shook her head. "Well! There's a first for everything, isn't there…" His hands released her and she turned, rubbing her sore wrists. "Get a bag and some clothes." He held out his hand, using a finger from his other hand to demonstrate how to pack as though speaking to a child. He placed his finger in the center of his other hand deliberately. "Put the clothes in the bag, see?"

If there was one thing Jayde did not put up with, it was being mocked and as Joker did this, she finally found her voice.

"I'm not stupid, you know…" she murmured, letting her eyes fall to the floor, afraid to meet The Joker's gaze. She had expected him to slap her or hit her but instead, he laughed loudly, turning to leave her in her bedroom.

"_That_ remains to be seen." He said over his shoulder as he disappeared into her kitchen. Jayde paused, listening, as she heard him pulling open drawers and cabinets, rifling through them but she had a feeling if he came back to find her not packed, he would really pissed. At this point, staying alive long enough to find out what he wanted from her was the name of the game.

Her hands were still shaking as she reached under her bed, feeling around blindly for her old gym bag and once her fingers felt the worn material, she yanked it out, shaking dust from it. She was not sure how many articles of clothing to bring since her existence basically hung in the balance. Who knows how many of these she would actually get to wear?

Over her shoulder, as she threw clothing into the bag, she could tell The Joker had returned and was now watching her from the doorway. Jayde glanced in that direction and sure enough, he was standing there, his arms folded over his chest as he watched with that same amused smirk on his face. She took a deep breath as she disappeared into her bathroom.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask why you chose me, would it? What did I do to uh…deserve this?" she asked gingerly, shoving her toothbrush and a tube of paste into her bag but froze as he stepped behind her in front of her sink. He took a deep breath as his hands slid into her back pockets, the tips of his fingers gliding along her ass through the material. She gritted her teeth to keep from turning and shoving him into the wall.

"Probably that cute lil' ass of yours…" he growled in her ear before giving her a tiny squeeze. As his hands slid back out and up her hips, Jayde looked into the mirror over the sink at his reflection in the dark bathroom as he gazed back at hers.

"You can't be serious…"

His loud, obnoxious laughter filled her bathroom as he grabbed her hair, throwing her back out into her bedroom without an answer. Jayde caught her balance but groaned as he turned her again to link the handcuffs around her wrists.

"If I were serious, I would bend you over this bed and give it to you in a way you've _never_ had it." His voice crooned deeply in her ear as the metal clicked into place behind her back and Jayde shivered as her stomach churned uncomfortably again. "_But-" _his voice again changed. "Lucky for you, _I'm_ a gentleman." He giggled as he slung the bag over his shoulder, pushing her toward the door.

"Plus, this is only the first date!"

They were in the van again in less time than Jayde had hoped, now heading toward a destination she was unaware of. Joker was sitting next to her again, his arm around her shoulders this time, twirling a strand of her hair around his gloved finger. Several minutes into the ride, he produced something from his pocket but Jayde did not look over until a loud, electric clicking noise filled the air in the van. The blue electricity from her taser bounced between the two points of contact and her eyes grew wide.

"I have to say, Jayde, I was a little…uh…_shocked_ to find this in your apartment!" he exclaimed, giggling almost gleefully. "I never took you to be so…_ruthless.._" He said this last word in her ear and something in his voice sounded hungered, lustful. Jayde looked up at him watching the sparks fly between the charges with an enraptured look on his face before he unexpectedly touched it to Jayde's thigh. She screamed as the volts of electricity flew through her body, forcing her onto her side as she convulsed momentarily. Her breath escaped her in gasps as she panted and Joker laughed hysterically from beside her, pulling her to sit up again.

"See how much that hurts?!" he cried, sliding his arm around her shoulders to play with her hair some more and from here, he left her alone for the time being.

The van ride this time was much longer than the one to her apartment complex and Jayde's hands were beginning to ache from being pinned between her body against the wall of the van. She shifted several times, trying to get somewhere near comfortable but The Joker seemingly took this as an attempt to get closer to him and she could practically hear him grinning in the darkness until he realized what she was doing.

"If you want to sit in my lap, all you had to do was ask nicely, Jayde.." he whispered in her ear but Jayde jerked away from him, shifting again.

"My hands hurt. I'm sitting on them." She replied as gently as she could, hoping he wasn't about to whip out the taser again but to her surprise, he reached into his coat, producing the cuff keys again.

"Oh, then by all means…take them off." He said, tossing the keys into her lap where they fell through her legs onto the floor of the van. "Woops!" As Jayde stared down at her lap, she could hear Joker giggling from beside her and she fought back another urge to roll her eyes. _So that's why they call him The Joker…_ she thought as she scooted forward until she felt the keys hit her bum. Once there, she wiggled around a bit more until they slid behind her to where her fingers could reach them.

He obviously had not expected her to actually try and take them off but watched in amusement none the less as she fumbled with them, dropping them several times before she could jiggle the tiny key into the hole. As she got one undone and whipped her hands from behind her back, Joker grinned at her.

"Impressive…" he murmured but Jayde ignored him, tossing the cuffs and keys into his lap once she had gotten them off and began rubbing her sore wrists.

Nearly a half hour after they had left her apartment, the van finally stopped sharply with a lurch and Jayde had to stifle a laugh when Joker fell forward as he had been kneeling, going through a bag. A second later, he slapped the back of the driver's head before climbing out. Before he could grab her ankle, Jayde held up her hands, stepping out of the van.

"No, I got the drill now. Get out when the van stops...got it." She said sarcastically but fell face first into gravel as Joker shoved her.

"See? You're so clumsy, Jayde. You should've just let me…_help you out._" he laughed, slinging her bag over his shoulder as his goons climbed out of the truck, laughing as well. "C'mon, klutz, you're comin' with me." He growled, yanking her up from the ground as she wiped dirt and rocks from the side of her face. Looking up, she found that the van had pulled into the garage of what appeared to be a large house and Joker, tugging Jayde, followed by his guys, walked up to the door that lead into the house, once again producing that large ring of keys.

Inside, the air was cooler than the outside and Jayde sighed, blowing her stringy black hair out of her face but found herself thoroughly shocked upon looking around. They had stepped into a beautiful mansion and not one that was run down or foreclosed; this one appeared brand new and fully furnished. Joker was standing next to her, admiring the large foyer-type room, complete with marble staircase and chandelier. He could tell Jayde was wondering wildly how he managed to stay there without raising any suspicion so he explained.

"Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy who fears for his life, hm?" he grinned as Jayde's eyes grew wide and she looked up at him until someone bumped into her other side. Joker's eyes went past her and up to the huge black man she had burned earlier that evening. "Jayde, this is Grizz, my entre-pre-negro." He introduced him with a snide grin and as Jayde looked up, she could tell 'Grizz' did not like this title but knew he was not allowed to say anything about it; the rules of this house were becoming clear already.

Another, much shorter man had just pushed past Grizz and as Joker reached out, grabbing his leather jacket to yank him back, Jayde instantly recognized the red, curly hair and glasses of the 'FedEx' delivery boy from the day before. "And _this _lil' guy…is Dotcom, my nerd." He rustled his hair in far too rough a manner to be playful before he shoved him away.

After introductions, Jayde was forced upstairs with her bag and Joker at her heels. As she climbed the marble stairs, she could tell he was staring at her ass and felt creepy chills wash over her as she began climbing a bit faster. At the top, she was forced toward a door at the end of a carpeted hallway and immediately noticed that the lock was on the _outside _of this door. Again, that ring of keys jingled in Joker's glove as he thumbed for the right one and once he found it, he unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal a large bedroom.

As she stepped inside, her mouth fell open. It was beautiful to say the least and as Joker watched her admire the large canopy bed in the center of the room, he followed her in, dropping her bag onto the vanity.

"Um…I…I realize that I've never been…kidnapped before but I'm pretty sure this is not what most captivity rooms look like…" she said, glancing at Joker as she now stepped into the marble bathroom, noting the large tub in the far corner. Joker's lips expanded into a grin that plainly said he knew more than the room was letting on.

"If you want, there's a closet downstairs you could sleep in. I just figured this would be more….comfy cozy for you." He said, wiggling his fingers in a demonstrative sort of way. Jayde arched an eyebrow at him as he slid his hands into his pockets to rock back on his heels in a far too innocent-looking way. He shrugged as though he had nothing to hide and Jayde sighed, sitting down on the bed. There was no way he actually cared about her comfort and she figured soon enough, she would find out why he was putting on. "Sleep while you can. You're locked in. And I wouldn't try the window if I were you." He waved from around the edge of the door as he disappeared beyond it, that shady, suspicious grin still on his face.

Jayde fell back into the pillows staring at the canopy, wishing she had at least asked for a glass of water before he left. Now she was stuck in there until god knows when without anything to drink but sink water. But as she opened her eyes and looked at the nightstand, a bottle of water sat there, staring at her in answer to her problem and she grabbed it, smiling to herself as she untwisted the cap.

Three sips into it, however, Jayde's vision began to blur, the room began to spin and just as she was falling to her knees, the door to her bedroom unlocked again and the last thing she saw was Joker's now coat-less frame entering the room, crouching low before her. "Nightey-night…sleep _tiiiiight_." Sang his deep voice and Jayde knew no more.


	7. My Mercury's In Retrograde

**Author's Note: **_Please review!!! _

A low buzzing sound filled Jayde's ears as her eyes creaked open and through the blur, she found herself laying on her stomach on a cold, metal table of sorts. A sharp, pin-prick pain in her back forced her to moan but when she tried to struggle, although she was not strapped down, she found her limbs completely paralyzed, tingling uncomfortably, preventing any movement. The buzzing sound stopped momentarily and the pain went away to be replaced by something cool and soft wiping her skin in the middle of her back. Jayde whimpered, closing her eyes until she felt a warmth near her face.

"Jaaaaayde…." Sang a soft, clowny voice in her ear and she opened her eyes to find Joker's brown ones inches from her. "I'm glad you're awake." He said gently, running a latex gloved hand through her hair. She whimpered, hot tears coming to her eyes as she closed them again.

"What are you doing to me?" her voice sounded weak and strained but she found that once she had asked, she did not want to know the answer anymore. If he was carving her, she would rather not know just yet.

"I can't tell you that." He answered, still stroking her hair with one hand while the other held up some sort of drill, hooked up to a cord. It buzzed near her face. "It would ruin the surprise…but _trust me…_you're gonna love it." With that, he grinned widely before moving back down her body to her back. A cool breeze blew over her and Jayde realized in a sickening moment that she was topless, laying on this table. It was fortunate she was laying on her stomach but at the same time, her foggy mind vaguely registered that she had to have gotten that way somehow. She really wanted to throw up…

Jayde gritted her teeth as the sharp pain came again along with the buzzing sound and as it intensified slightly, she cried out, again trying to struggle. Her body still would not move.

"Am I hurting you, _Jayde?"_ he asked from where he stood out of her line of vision and she tried to nod her head but still could not move. She whimpered loudly and the pain stopped again. "I'm sorry? You'll have to speak a _bit_ louder…"

"Yes!" she screamed, sobbing slightly but he only wiped her back again, laughing while he did it.

"_Gooooood_, that's what I like to hear…"

Jayde could not remember passing out again but when she woke, her eyes opened to the inside of her 'bedroom' where sunlight was now streaming in through the windows. The white linens of the bed were billowed all around her and she realized rather quickly that she was surprisingly really comfortable. She rolled over moments later, glad that her movement had returned but she winced at a dull pain in the middle of her back.

The room was cool and Jayde shivered slightly as she stood from the bed, surprised to find herself in a baggy t-shirt and the same underwear she had been wearing the night before. A slight wave of relief washed over her as she stumbled to the bathroom, her head still spinning slightly from the residual drugs in her system. Her reflection looked the same as it always did, save for a new bruise on her cheek that she was positive had come from the Joker's fist the night before in the van.

It took several moments of convincing herself she really wanted to look at her back to see what The Joker had done but once she realized that whatever it was obviously had not killed her yet, she lifted the t-shirt off of her back and gasped.

A large, rather intricate 'J' had been tattooed in the middle of her back, the skin around it raised, red and inflamed. It glistened slightly as it was still sticky and wet but Jayde jumped, lowering the shirt again as the door to her bedroom burst open. She froze in front of the sink as Joker walked into the room, glancing at the empty bed, obviously a bit confused. Once he noticed her in the bathroom, that creepy grin slid over his painted face.

"Well, good morning." He said, stepping over to her. "Do you like your…uh…_tattoo?" _ his grin expanded slightly and Jayde backed up a step, practically cowering against the sink.

"I-..Is it supposed to stand for 'Jayde' or…" she paused in her question realizing just how dumb it was…Of course it didn't stand for 'Jayde'…

"Turn around." Joker instructed a moment later, reaching for a bottle of aloe lotion on the bathroom counter. Jayde stared at his face with wide, fearful eyes until he grabbed her shoulders roughly, forcing her to turn until she braced the sink. His fingers lifted the end of the shirt until it rested on her shoulders. Jayde closed her eyes, swallowing hard. Her underwear was the only layer of clothing covering her at this point and she couldn't help but feel hugely embarrassed and disgusted as she could practically feel his eyes roving down her backside.

She jumped as the cool lotion dripped down her back, over the fresh tattoo but opened her eyes in partial surprise as Joker's bare hands began gently rubbing it in, up and down her spine. This was the first time she had felt his bare hands against her since he had been wearing those gloves both times she encountered him and she felt ashamed at herself for the goosebumps that covered her skin at his touch. It _actually_ felt _really_ good.

He must have noticed for she heard him chuckle to himself behind her. "Ya like that, hm?" he asked, grinning at her over her shoulder in the mirror as she looked up at him. Jayde did not answer and instead hung her head, not wanting to encourage him. He took more time than necessary and ended up kneading her back gently with this thumbs in a couple places not even remotely close to the tattoo. Jayde had to bite her bottom lip several times to fight back groans, not of pain, but of slight pleasure. Her body ached from head to toe and Joker seemed to know that, hitting all the spots that were particularly tight and tense.

This gentle streak in Joker only lasted so long and once he had gotten his fill of touching her, he smacked his hand over the fresh tattoo causing Jayde to squeal in pain. He giggled, pulling the shirt back down. "Get dressed and come downstairs." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As Jayde walked down the stairs slowly, ten minutes later in jeans and a tank-top, she winced, pulling the bottom of it up, off her tattoo. The clothing was sticking to the fresh lotion and Jayde had a feeling Joker had placed it there on purpose, knowing how she would have to wear her shirts to keep it from rubbing. She didn't know why she was taking such care of it; she didn't even want it in the first place.

Over the balcony, Jayde could see Joker, Grizz and Dotcom all standing at a table, hunched over blueprints. She actually grinned from the stairs before they noticed her; they had to be the silliest looking group of criminals she had ever seen. Dotcom, being the shortest, with his bright red hair stood next to Joker with his green hair, who was a good foot taller than Dotcom but a good foot _shorter_ than Grizz who towered above both of them.

"You can override that though, right?" Joker was asking Dotcom who nodded eagerly in response.

"Yeah, it's just a matter of dispersing the signal." He answered and Joker nodded, bracing his hands on the table to lean on them. "It will probably knock the power out, but…"

"Alright, Grizz, can black people see in the dark?" Joker asked in a very serious-sounding question and Jayde slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the snort of laughter that escaped her. Of course, all three of them heard this and turned, staring at her on the bottom step. Her eyes grew wide for a second before she stepped down, walking over to sit at the table across from where they stood.

"Soooo…Jayde…Do you have a car?" Joker asked as the three men stared down at her and she glanced at each of them sheepishly, rubbing her shoulder.

"Kinda…It's in a long-term garage off 27th. It was my dad's…" she answered and Joker stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest, pondering as his eyes rolled to the ceiling contemplatively.

"Alright, boys, I'm gonna take her to get the car and I'm gonna need-…" he hooked his arms around Dotcom and Grizz (the best he could), leading them away from the table while he lowered his voice. He returned a moment later after Grizz and Dotcom had disappeared into the garage and he yanked her up from the table by her arm, linking his with hers. "Let's get outta here, sweetie. Just you n' me." As they headed toward the door to the garage, Grizz stepped back in, tossing a small set of car keys to Joker who caught them with his free hand.

Jayde was pushed into the front seat of a black Cadillac, surprised at how nice the interior was. The leather was beige and smooth under her skin although she cringed again at the feel of her tattoo sticking to the seat. Joker got in on the driver's side to start the car and Jayde had to admit to herself that she was a little surprised he knew how to do something as normal as drive. Of course, he was an adult man but it seemed like the only things he knew how to do were hurt people, blow things up and be an asshole.

The ride back toward the inner-city of Gotham was mostly quiet to Jayde's surprise. Joker did not speak much and instead drove twenty miles over the speed limit, nibbling at his bottom lip pensively. She could tell from the look on his face that he was thinking about something and randomly, twenty minutes into the half-hour long drive, he glanced over at her.

"What kind of car is it?" he asked, but continued before she could answer. " Cuz…I'm gonna be _royally _pissed if I'm driving all the way out here for a _clunker_."

Jayde turned her head to roll her eyes so he couldn't see. "It's actually a 1976 Stingray Corvette, thank you very much." She replied a bit more venomously than she had intended and she cringed as Joker slapped her thigh hard with his bare hand.

"You're welcome." He spat back.

The Cadillac circled the floors of the parking garage, searching for the black Corvette and as they reached the fourth story, the classic car peeked out from between two SUV's. Jayde looked up at Joker with a smug grin on her face as his lips formed an 'Oooo' even before they had parked and he got out, glancing around as Jayde followed him.

"Oooooo….I _like_ this…" he cooed, running his hand along the curve of her dad's faveorite car. Jayde watched him peer in through the windows. "And it's in min-t condition…" he said, noticing the black, spotless leather interior, complete with working, functional, classic style controls and dials. "Go get the keys." He commanded and Jayde turned to walk down to the office, but paused mid-step.

"I'm gonna need my –" she began, turning back but looked down at his hand as Joker held out her ID. "….thanks…"

When she returned, Joker had somehow gotten the hood open and was now peering into the brain of the car as though he knew exactly what he was looking at. She approached him with an arched eyebrow, holding out the keys to him. He snatched them from her hand, moving to unlock the car, but as he tried to start it, the engine turned over once before sputtering to it's rather abrupt death. Joker groaned, letting his head fall onto the steering wheel, causing it to honk loudly.

"When was the last time you ran it?' he asked, stepping back out and Jayde shrugged as he moved past her to look into the car again.

"Probably when I drove it here from Montana….a year ago." She jumped as the palm of Joker's hand met his forehead and he sighed.

"Stupid girls with their fancy cars..…" he grumbled to himself irritably as he pulled a cell phone from his pants pockets after he had shed himself of his coat. When he turned, placing the phone to his ear, the security guard that patrolled the garage was coming around the corner in his little golf cart and Joker ducked, crouching between the Corvette and the SUV on the other side of it. He reached out, pulling Jayde's jeans so she stood in front of him. "Grizz," he whispered into the phone, glancing up at her. "Call Dom and tell him I need a car moved from the corner of 27th and Monroe. I need him here in less than fifteen." Obviously, Grizz was more than happy to comply so Joker hung up, running a flustered hand through his hair. "Izze gone?" he asked and once Jayde nodded, he stood up.

While they waited for 'Dom' to arrive, Joker and Jayde sat in the Cadillac across the way from the Corvette. He was poking through the radio stations and when nothing seemed to catch his fancy, he shut it off, groaning quietly.

"How old are you?" Jayde asked randomly, hoping she wasn't about to get slapped but was thoroughly surprised when he laughed, rolling his eyes.

"I can't tell you that." He replied.

"Can I guess?" she probed further, now turning in her seat as Joker did the same, plopping his hands into his lap as though she had peaked his interest.

"Sure. I like guessing games."

Jayde surveyed his face, letting her eyes fall over his frame for a moment before…"thirty?" When he simply grinned, she squinted with her head cocked to the side, taking that to mean she was wrong. "Higher or lower?"

"Lower."

"Twenty-…eight?"

"Lower…"

"No way…"

"Keep goin'."

"Twenty-six?"

"DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!!" he cried, grinning as Jayde's jaw fell open.

"No way! You're only four years older than me?" She shook her head in disbelief as he shrugged.

"That's if you're countin'." He said but climbed out of the car as a tow-truck pulled up in front of them and a bald-headed man hopped out, glancing around.

Twenty minutes later, Joker and Dom had gotten the car onto the back of the truck and now he walked over to her, grabbing her arm. "I'm going to _assume _you remember how to drive, yes?" he asked, pulling her around the Cadillac to the driver's side. When she nodded, he pushed her into the car, handing her the keys. "Ok, so _drive-uh_… Oh, and I wouldn't even _think_ about trying anything. I'm gonna be right behind ya..." He pulled something from his pocket and Jayde's eyes grew wide as she noticed it was a shiny, black, metal gun. "And I will have no problem blowing the tires out before I blow your _brains _out…capiche?"

Jayde swallowed, placing her hands on the wheel. "Got it." Joker's hand patted her head heavily before he walked away, climbing into the truck next to Dom. When she pulled out of the spot, Joker's hollowed, dark eyes glared at her and the barrel of the gun pointed in her direction as he lowered his head. She could practically hear his voice inside her head.

"_I'm watching you…"_


	8. Acrophobia

**Author's Note: **Reviews?…Yes?…Pease??

The ride back to the mansion took longer than Jayde had expected but she figured it had something to do with the fact that she knew Joker was watching her every move. She kept glancing in the rear view mirror at the tow-truck behind her every minute or so. Just barely visible through the windshield was Joker's painted, grinning face; Jayde had a feeling he knew she kept looking back.

Soon enough, the massive, pale yellow walls of the mansion loomed ahead and Jayde could see Grizz and Dotcom outside, watching as she and the truck pulled up into the long driveway. She heard Dotcom whistle, impressed, at the sight of the sparkly Corvette on the tow-truck as she passed them, pulling the Cadillac into the garage.

"Sexy, huh?" Joker said to Dotcom as he jumped out, turning to glance at Jayde as she walked out of the garage, pocketing the keys absentmindedly. The Joker noticed however and walked over. "Ah, ah, ah…" he held out his hand, wiggling his fingers for the keys and Jayde handed them over before turning to walk away.

For nearly twenty minutes, she sat on the floor of the garage, watching as Joker, Dotcom and Dom all worked to get the Corvette off the truck and as it bounced onto the driveway it was only seconds before Joker had popped the hood and was talking to Dotcom over it. Dom seemingly knew his job was finished and was not about to get paid for his services by The Joker, so he left rather abruptly.

Jayde watched in mild interest as Joker unbuttoned the sleeves of his blue shirt after he had taken off his purple jacket and began rolling them up to his elbows while Dotcom got in the car, fiddling with all the buttons. She wondered vaguely what her dad would say if he knew The Joker and his goons were about to mess with his favorite car. After rolling his sleeves up, Joker reached into the wires and mechanics of the car, obviously doing something to it but pulled his hands out moments later, now black and covered in grease.

"Try and start it now." He said to Dotcom who stuck the keys in the ignition, turned them, only to produce a dead, clicking sound. Jayde was no mechanic but that sounded bad. When Joker closed the hood to the car with a slam, he confirmed her suspicions. "Yeah, the catalytic converters are toast..." She heard him say to Dotcom and her jaw fell open; he _actually _knew what he was talking about. "..we're gonna have to replace most of the parts in there." He continued but seemingly knew what Jayde was thinking as he looked over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow again. She looked down quickly but felt her stomach clench up when the tips of his brown shoes came into her sight.

"Ya know, it really _sucks_ you didn't take better care of that car, Jayde." He scolded and Jayde looked up, squinting at him in the glare of the early evening glare.

"Sorry, I didn't really realize you would be needing it." She replied sarcastically, but kept the hint in her voice to a minimum. Joker rolled his eyes.

"_Luckily, _it can be fixed." He explained as though she really cared. "Go upstairs and get a shower. We're going to be leaving in an hour."

Jayde obeyed immediately, rising to her feet, but gasped loudly in shock as Joker's hands reached out, grabbing both of her breasts as he backed her up until her back met the wall of the garage. She was about ready to slap him for real this time when he let go, smirked, and walked away. When she looked down at her shirt, two huge, black, greasy handprints stared back at her and she groaned, rolling her eyes as she stomped into the house behind him.

An hour later, after a hot shower and a change of clothes, Jayde was sitting at the vanity in her room, tugging her comb through her long hair, cringing as it met a knot here and there. She was halfway through this process when the door creaked open and The Joker appeared in the way, apparently having showered himself. His makeup was fresh, perfect and his hair seemed wet and slightly combed. He grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned in the doorway and Jayde caught a vague whiff of that cologne. Without the gasoline laced with it, she was surprised to admit it actually smelled really good.

She ignored him at first, continuing to comb her hair but he didn't seem to mind; it was obvious from the get-go that he enjoyed watching her. When she had finished, she stood up, walking over to him. His eyes raked across her face and flickered to the neckline of her purple v-neck shirt.

"You look nice." He said in a deep voice, the corners of his mouth stretching slightly in a grin. "Purple is an _excellent_ color on you, I'm pleased to say…Not everyone can pull it off." Jayde shrugged, her eyes falling to the floor, uncomfortable with his attempts at compliments.

"Thanks." She muttered, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "Where are we going?"

Joker's gloved fingers fit with hers and he pulled her gently toward the stairs. "Well, on our second date of course!" he answered with a flourish as they headed down to the first floor. "But I can't tell you where it is. It's a surprise." He giggled as Jayde rolled her eyes behind his back; of _course_ it was a surprise…

Thirty minutes later, Jayde and Joker were back in the city of Gotham and just happened to be passing the garage they had been in earlier that afternoon. Jayde still did not know the city all that well so even as she tried to identify landmarks, she still had no idea where he was taking her. The sun was setting rapidly behind the tall buildings and already the streets were dark. They drove through the Narrows toward the bridge where factories lined either side of the river, looming up over the murky water with rippling reflections. She had seen these factories several times and always wondered what was inside but never bothered to find out or ask anyone about them. She figured now was as good a time to find out as ever.

The car stopped outside a particularly large one and Joker got out, instructing her to 'wait here'. He disappeared through a side door, pulling something from his pocket as he slipped inside. Whatever he needed to do in there did not take long and he was back before Jayde could even begin to wonder what he was doing. As he started the car again, he grinned widely at her, bracing his hand behind her seat to turn and look behind them to back out.

Jayde wanted to ask him where they were going but she had a feeling he would tell her that he 'couldn't tell her that' so she kept her mouth shut, lamely letting her head rest against the window to watch her surroundings blur by. She was really tired, honestly, but knew Joker would be really mad if she fell asleep on their 'date' so she yawned instead, blinking furiously to keep her eyes open. Joker noticed this from the corner of his eye and reached out, taking her hand.

"Am I _boring_ you, Jayde?" he asked, tightening his grip slightly until she cringed, trying to pull her hand away.

"You are _everything_ but boring, Joker…" she replied and Joker hummed in delight deep in his throat as he smirked, releasing her hand.

"I _like_ it when you say my name, Jayde, I _like it.._" he growled and Jayde rolled her eyes. The car stopped moments later down the street from a huge building and both got out, Jayde following Joker as he walked into the grass down to the water front. He offered her his arm and Jayde took it since she knew she had no choice, sliding her hand between his elbow and ribcage, to stroll along with him until they reached the back entrance to the huge, partly constructed Prewitt building that overlooked the harbor and the warehouse they had just visited sat across the river from them.

As they stepped into a service elevator, Joker leaned over, burying his nose in her soft hair to take a deep breath in. Jayde arched an eyebrow at him, leaning away as he laughed slightly. "You smell nice. Excuuuuuse me for noticing." He said, holding up his hands in defense as the elevator squeaked to a halt somewhere around the top of the building. Joker stepped out, pulling a flashlight from his pocket as he let go of Jayde's hand and he immediately began pointing it at the ground, walking around, looking for something. She paused in the middle of the floor, watching him, confused. When he finally found what he was looking for, he let out a shout of laughter, pointing down at something on the floor as he motioned for her to go to him.

"See that stain there?" he asked, pointing the flashlight on a dark red mark on the wood paneling. She peered closer but nodded, looking up at him as he grinned, walking away. "That's my blood." He paused again several feet from the spot, pointing at another. "So is that…and that…and here's a Joker tooth!" Jayde shook her head as he knelt to pick it up.

"So who beat the shit out of you up here?" she asked, walking over to him as he inspected the tooth in the palm of his hand with the flashlight.

"The Batman.." he grunted and Jayde snorted with laughter until his eyes met hers in a very serious gaze; _Oh…he's not joking._ "He dangled me over the edge over here like a piñata." He went on a few moments later, walking over to the ledge to lean over and look down at the ground nearly fifty stories below them. Jayde followed him again, but gasped, jumping back from the edge as her eyes caught sight of the massive distance between her and the grass. Joker turned, grinning. "Uh-oh…someone's scared of heights…" he taunted, walking toward her with that awful, menacing grin on his face and for a second, Jayde considered running but he had already closed the distance between them.

But instead of dragging her toward the edge like she had expected, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, walking her closer slowly, gently until she decided they were close enough to the edge for her taste. When he felt her knees begin to lock up, he pulled her hair to the side to speak into her ear. "Jayde, we have to get a little closer to see the surprise…" he murmured, tightening his grip around her. "I wont let you fall."

Jayde felt an unfamiliar sensation shoot through her and she found that his words actually worked to soothe her fear so she allowed him to move her a bit closer until they were only two or three feet from the edge. She was still scared stiff but the sensation of Joker's arms around her was shocking to say the least in the way it made her feel so safe. When he moved to let go of her, she whimpered, clutching the sleeves of his coat tightly across her stomach and he chuckled in her ear, keeping his arms around her.

They sat down slowly, Jayde in front of Joker, between his legs, practically on his lap, but she didn't care at this point. She was hardly scared of him at this height and was more concerned with losing her balance too close to the edge than she was with him strangling her or anything. Joker leaned back on his hands behind him and uncertainly, Jayde leaned back against his chest, amazed with how comfortable she was. She was absolutely positive Joker did not do this with many women and she was just beginning wonder what they were doing up there in the first place when a loud explosion tore through the air.

Across the river, the factory Joker had just been in had burst into flames and a loud screeching noise met her ears as a blue rocket shot into the air and burst in a sprinkling of light.

"That building stored all the fireworks for the Fourth of July parade." He murmured in her ear and Jayde couldn't help but smile as rocket after rocket began shooting into the air, bursting in all different colors; it was beautiful to say the least.

The noise on the other side of the river was extraordinary and Jayde was glad they were a good distance away, even though the bangs were still fairly loud from where they were sitting. She could feel Joker's chest rise and fall heavily against her back as he sighed and Jayde turned slightly to look up at him, afraid to move too much.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked abruptly, watching as the paint on his face wrinkled slightly in his frown. "N-not that I'm complaining, I'm just…" she hastened to add and Joker took a deep breath, shrugging.

"Well, you don't annoy the _hell _outta me, you're fairly _intelligent…_I dunno." He grinned, pinching her cheek lightly. "-Doesn't hurt that you're really cute either." Jayde could feel her cheeks burning from the crimson color of embarrassment so she turned her back to him again, resting against him to watch as the fireworks continued to go up. "But if you'd like me to be mean…I can be mean…" he added darkly, a few moments later and Jayde shivered openly, shaking her head as he laughed.

The two of them sat there for what felt like an hour, just watching in silence as the fireworks lit up the night sky. Joker had taken to playing with her hair again but it didn't bother her anymore, in fact, she was finding it kind of lulling. But the show was fizzling to an end and as Joker stretched, groaning, Jayde sat up but was bit hesitant to stand, knowing how close they were to the edge. Luckily, Joker's hands slid under her arms and he lifted her off the ground to a standing position before he grabbed her hand to take them back to the elevator.

"Well, that was pretty painless, right?" he asked from the opposite wall of the elevator as they rode down and Jayde nodded, folding her arms over her chest, feeling slightly awkward at the weird tension. She was almost positive they had just been cuddling and she felt odd all the way down to her toes and back up. Joker, however, apparently did not feel the same way and again, took her hand in the crook of his elbow to stroll back to the car.

The entire ride back was silent, partly because Joker just didn't have anything to say, not that it would have mattered anyway; Jayde had fallen asleep again the window of the car practically the second they pulled away from the Prewitt building. He glanced over at her sleeping figure while he stopped at a red light and could not help himself. Reaching over, he picked up a tendril of her hair, using the end of it to tickle her nose. He grinned goofily to himself as she reached up, swatting at it in her sleep. When he did it again, moments later, Jayde swung her arm out, hitting him in the chest.

"Stop it." She grunted but Joker decided not to hit her and instead, he grinned wider, pulling through the green light.


	9. Desperate 'Housewife'

At the mansion, Joker grumbled irritably to himself as, after three attempts at waking her, Jayde was still snoring quietly against the window. He got out of the car to walk over to her side, opening the door quickly, hoping she would just fall out on her own, but she did not and instead merely shifted positions. With another growl, he leaned inside the car, undoing her seatbelt before scooping her into his arms to toss her over his shoulder. He knew this was the rather barbaric way of doing things, but it was her own fault for not waking up.

As he stepped inside the house, he could feel Jayde's arms swinging, hitting his back and as Grizz and Dotcom looked up from the couch, they both burst out laughing at the sight. "Damn, Boss, you sure know how to treat a lady!" Grizz exclaimed as they paused the movie they were watching when Joker walked over to drop Jayde onto the couch less than gently. She screamed, now wide awake as she blinked up at the three men staring down at her. Jayde groaned, closing her eyes as she sat up.

"You could've just carried me upstairs…" she murmured but winced as Joker flicked the back of her head with his finger, hard.

"You're not handicapped!" he practically shouted, taking off his purple coat to sit on the couch with his guys. One foot rested on the coffee table before the other crossed over it and he leaned back, fanning his hand at her. "You can carry _yourself_ upstairs. Night night!"

Jayde rolled her eyes again as she stood up from the couch to go up to her bedroom but she had only made it up a couple steps before Joker's loud voice called after her. "And if you roll those eyes at me one more time, I'm gonna cut 'em out and put 'em in a jar!"

The following morning, Jayde sat straight up in her bed with a gasp as some loud bang had reached her ears through the walls and as it came again, she rose from the bed, blinking furiously. Surprisingly, the door to her room was still unlocked, which meant Joker had not come to lock her in the night before. She stepped out into the hallway, following the sound of the banging until she stood in front of a door at the far end of the hallway. As she reached for the knob, she paused, a feeling deep down in her gut telling her that this could be Joker's inner sanctum and it might be wise to stay out. But she was curious as ever and decided to open the door.

For a split second, she wished she hadn't opened it as she found Joker standing in the middle of the room, holding a hammer up over his head as though he had just been about to strike whatever it was he was banging on. He looked up but grinned when he saw her. "Oh, _heeeeey_…." He sang, lowering the hammer with that cheeky, unfriendly grin on his scarred face. "Did I wake you?" She nodded in response, glancing down at the hunk of intricate metal he had been hitting.

"I assume you're making all that noise because you _know _ what you're doing?.." she asked, arching an eyebrow as she folded her arms over her chest, leaning against the frame of the door. Joker glanced down at the part on the metal table before shrugging.

"Nah, I just like making loud noises." When Jayde continued to stare at him, he turned his head to the side, squinting, glaring at her out of the very corner of his eye until she realized he was being sarcastic. "Well, if you're not going to come in, then go away. Your…_lingering _ is making me itchy." He said before turning back to the piece on the table and Jayde stepped inside, looking around at the walls.

This, apparently, was The Joker's 'office' although it could have been called several different things. From the look of it, a wall had been knocked down, conjoining it and the next room over. Part of the long room had been made into what appeared to be a chemical lab, complete with glass vials full of dangerous looking liquid and several body parts floated in jars on a shelf next to it. She passed over this quickly and began to take in the walls. Where maps, blueprints and pictures were not covering, it looked as though Joker's idea of interior design was to scribble little 'Ha, ha, ha's' all over the walls in red ink and as she backed up to take in more of it, her mouth fell open slightly. The walls really were completely covered in 'ha's from ceiling to floor.

She moved on while the banging continued, glancing at Joker over her shoulder. He obviously didn't mind her peering around at his things so she kept on, somewhat enraptured by the vast array of weaponry he had mounted on the wall. Several huge guns looked dangerously heavy and Jayde had to refrain from reaching out to touch them, afraid Joker would freak out if one of them were to fall.

As she moved about the room, a large fish tank caught her attention and she walked over, leaning down to peer inside. A warming lamp sat on top of it but once Jayde noticed the skeleton of a mouse resting in the bottom of the tank, she jumped up, afraid of what might be in there. Joker must have been watching her for he walked over, causing Jayde to jump as he stepped next to her.

"What's in there?" she asked, watching in flight-mode as Joker removed the lid of the cage to reach inside and lift a rock, revealing the absolutely massive, hairy tarantula that lived inside. The spider crawled onto his hand and he lifted it from the cage as Jayde stepped back several feet, her eyes wide.

"This is George." He said, grinning down at the huge spider in his hand with a sort of adoring expression on his face. "He's a red-kneed tarantula…Isn't he _pretty?_ "

Jayde tore her eyes from the spider to look up at Joker. "You have a _pet _ tarantula…named George…" When Joker nodded, grinning widely, she shook her head with a laugh. "I swear you are the most random person, ever."

"But you like it." Joker said, lowering George back into his tank gingerly as Jayde rolled her eyes before she could even stop herself. "AH! Those eyes are mine!!" he pointed at her but tore after her as Jayde ran from the room, screaming. He was right on her heels as she ran down the stairs, glancing behind and above her before her screams turned into laughter. However, as she rounded the corner at the base of the stairs, she ran straight into something huge and solid. Joker smashed into her seconds later in some movie-like, human train-wreck and as she looked up, Grizz was glaring down at both of them.

"Jayde! Enough playing around!" Joker shouted, grinning cheekily at Grizz as he yanked her away, back over to the kitchen table where he sat her down forcefully. "I'm not going to take your eyes yet only cuz they're so pretty and they look better in your head, but you really do gotta stop rollin' 'em at me, 'kay?" he said in her face before he slapped a piece of paper onto the table in front of her. "You get to go to the grocery store today!"

An hour later, after nearly ten minutes of specific instructions from Joker, Jayde was slowly pushing the metal cart down aisle number ten, glancing at the list in her hand. The hand writing on the list was not that of The Joker and several times, Jayde had to squint or bring it closer to her face to read what it was. She was guessing, from the tiny, all caps, messy writing that this was Dotcom's hand; it looked like a nerd had written it.

At the front of the store, Jayde consulted the list in her hand one last time, double checking that she had gotten everything, knowing Joker _and _ his 'roommates' would be really mad if she forgot anything. It seemed someone else, not Dotcom or Joker, had added a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka to the end of the list and up near the top, Dotcom had asked for a bottle of cranberry juice. Jayde rolled her eyes, pushing her cart into the checkout lane.

Jayde had just finished setting all the groceries on the conveyor belt when the woman behind the register addressed her.

"Ow, that looks like that hurt!" she said, pointing at her own cheek to signify she was talking about the bruise on Jayde's. "Fight?" Jayde paused, staring at the woman, honestly a bit thrown off and bewildered by this random question but she could not help the grin that spread across her face.

"You could say that."

At the mansion, the garage doors were closed and with Jayde in the Escalade, she needed to get inside there to get all the bags out of the back. She groaned, annoyed, as she climbed out of the SUV to walk over and bang on the metal door. She could hear some sort of air-powered drill whirring away just on the other side and a moment later, it stopped, replaced by the dull sound of two men talking.

"It's Jayde! Open the door so I can park the car!" she called through the garage but stepped back as it slid up, pulled by Dotcom who grinned in a friendly sort of way.

"Hey." He said. "Need help?" Jayde frowned for a second before she realized that this was literally the first time he had spoken to her since her kidnapping and he was actually being really nice.

"Yeah, thanks!" she replied with a grin. "Let me pull it in first."

Jayde glanced over at her Corvette, the hood popped with several of it's parts lying around on tarps on the floor of the garage. She could hear Joker fiddling with something on the other side of the car but could not see him behind the lifted and propped open hood.

Dotcom had already grabbed a couple bags from the back and was passing her between the cars to go into the house. After Jayde had done the same, she walked toward the door but did a quadruple take as she passed Joker bent over the engine of the car. If it hadn't been for the faded makeup and his green hair, she probably would not have even realized it was him; his hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head and his purple outfit had been shed to be replaced by a pair of worn jeans and a white T-undershirt that had been smeared with plenty of grease stains already. He seemed to notice her confusion at his appearance for he grinned to himself, standing up with some small, greasy trinket from the car in his hand but Jayde had already moved into the house, trying to forget that she had seen what his arms looked like under his blue shirt. It was hard to believe that the young guy in that garage was _The Joker_ and Jayde felt somewhat fortunate for getting to see him look so _normal_.

She shook her head with a grunted laugh but looked up as Dotcom walked over, nodding. "Yeah…I know.." he said in a very understanding way, flashing another grin before he stepped back out to get the rest of the bags. Jayde followed, glancing at Joker again but squealed as his hand swung out, slapping her ass as she passed him.

"Stop staring. It's not polite." He barked, leaning to the side to catch her glare as she turned to shoot one his way.

As she passed him again, she looked at his arms a bit closer to find that he had a couple tattoos of his own and after she had dropped the last of the bags onto the counter, she returned, but stood next to him with her hands on her hips. Joker seemed to know what she wanted to see so he held out his left forearm, ignoring her, as he continued to fuss with the car part he was holding. Two thin, black bands had been tattooed around his wrist in what looked to be a faux-bracelet of sorts and Jayde snorted a laugh.

"Did you do this yourself?" she asked, looking up at him as he nodded.

"Yep, now scram…You're wasting my oxygen in here."

Jayde put away the groceries by herself; Dotcom had chosen to stay out in the garage with the car to help Joker. She sighed heavily, twenty minutes later as she balled up the last bag in her hand, thinking it somewhat amusing and yet infuriating how Joker had forced into the position of house-wife since bringing her to the mansion. She wouldn't be surprised if he told her to do all their laundry next. In fact, Jayde had expected all sorts of crazy, illegal requests from The Joker but was shocked to find they had not done one thing yet…besides blow up a fireworks factory.

She jumped as the door to the garage flew open and Dotcom stepped in, taking off his glasses to wipe the sweat from the bridge of his nose. He reached into his back pocket producing a box of cigarettes before looking over at her with a grin.

"Wanna smoke?" he asked and although Jayde was not a smoker, she enjoyed the occasional fag so she nodded, smiling.

"Sure."

On the massive back porch, Dotcom walked over to the pool, leaning down to dip his hands in and rub them together, trying to rid them of the black grease. Jayde watched him do this until he walked over to sit down, handing her a cigarette.

"You doin' ok so far?" he asked moments later after they had lit up and Jayde shrugged, taking a drag. "I heard his tattoo machine going the other night…figured that couldn't be good."

"Yeah, he drugged me then carved this big 'J' on my back." She answered. "Other than that, I'm fine, surprisingly. I expected to be dead by now."

Dotcom shook his head, exhaling the smoke in his lungs. "Nah, Joker likes you…If he hasn't killed you by now… " he looked over at her to find her expression less than relieved. "If you can make him laugh, and not his creepy laugh, then you'll know you're in his good graces." Jayde nodded slowly, musing over this information.

"You mean he has a laugh _other_ than his creepy one?" she asked and Dotcom snorted as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Yeah, trust me; you'll know it when you hear it."

"Any other advice you can give me?" she asked, laughing slightly as Dotcom did the same, but both looked to the sliding glass doors as they slid open and the man on topic walked out, stretching his arms over his head with a groan. Jayde's eyes flew to the bottom of his shirt as it lifted up a few inches, revealing a bit of his tummy and the trail of hair under his belly button. She looked away quickly as he turned, taking another hit of her cigarette. Why did she think it was so weird to find that he was just like any other twenty-six year old man?

Joker walked over and sat down across from them, holding out his hand toward the pack of cigarettes to wiggle his fingers until Dotcom slid one to him. As he lit it, he leaned back in the chair, crossing his shoes on the table to get comfortable.

"Joker?" Jayde spoke after a couple moments, looking to him as his eyes slid over to hers slowly.

"What." His raspy voice replied.

"Can I call someone?" she asked, crossing her fingers under the table. That whole morning she had thought of her best friend Audrey who she knew would be blowing her phone up. Jayde had a feeling if she could hear her voice, she would feel a ton better about being 'kidnapped'. Joker tilted his head back, closing his eyes.

"Uh…sure. As long as it's not the police or…your _parents_.."

Jayde scowled at him as he looked over at her. "I don't have any parents. I want to call my best friend." She snapped, trying to ignore the huge grin that had jumped onto Joker's face after her first statement.

"Oh, then by all means…" he said, placing his hands behind his head as the cigarette rested between his red lips. Jayde stared at him blankly until he noticed, again sliding his eyes to hers as that evil, asshole smile stretched his scars.

"I don't have a phone."

He laughed a deep laugh from his chest, taking a drag of the cigarette as he closed his eyes. "Ya sure don't." Jayde did not even try to hide her frustration and she groaned loudly, slamming her hands on the table to push herself up from the chair and storm inside. Joker opened his eyes to watch her, chuckling to himself before nodding at Dotcom. "She likes me."


	10. Like Jekyll and Hyde

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone for reading and keeping up. I've had a lot of spare time to write lately, I guess, which is why the chapters keep flying up. I still need reviews and constructive criticism so if you're gonna read, please let me know you were here by leaving a review! Thanks!!

Jayde fumed, grinding her teeth together angrily inside her mouth as she glared, cross-armed at the blank TV screen. She knew she was being a little childish about this, but the least Joker could let her do after stealing her away from her life, however boring it was, was let her call her friend; she just wanted to hear a voice from the outside. All of this Jayde was thinking, so lost in her thoughts that she failed to hear the sliding glass doors open behind her. Moments later, two large hands rested on the back of the couch on either side of her shoulders and Joker's belt buckle touched the back of her head he leaned over her, peering at her, upside down.

"What's wrong, sugar pie, honey buns?" he asked in that falsely caring voice, blinking down at her as she refused to meet his eyes, shaking her head.

"Nothing. I'm just tired. Can I take a nap?" she met his eyes to find that he was squinting, assessing her request. Finally he stood up, leaving her line of vision.

"Yeah, but I'm coming to lock the door." He replied, pulling the keys from his pocket. When Jayde stood, he held his arm out toward the stairs, bowing slightly. "Ladies first." He growled with a grin. As they walked up the stairs, Jayde rolled her eyes heavily, knowing he couldn't see her. She knew he was checking out her ass so she turned to catch him in the act and sure enough, his head jerked up quickly, but he didn't seem to care that she had caught him. "Mmmhmm…" he hummed, reaching up to pinch it but Jayde jumped up the last two steps, turning her back to him to place her arms behind her back, over her bum.

Her eyes bored into his but Joker was still smiling wickedly, advancing toward her as they reached the closed door to her bedroom and her back met the wood with a soft thud. Her hands fumbled behind her for the knob and she twisted it, only to find that it was locked. Joker's grin expanded when he noticed the slight panic in her eyes. The way she exhibited her fears through her facial expressions and those bright blue eyes was intoxicating to Joker. He loved nothing more than watching them dilate in fear when he touched her.

His right hand held the keys and as he slipped his arm around her waist to unlock the door, Jayde arched her back against his chest, focusing her eyes on the neck of his white t-shirt. Just as the lock clicked out of place behind her however, the door swung open and Jayde nearly fell backward had it not been for Joker's arm behind her back, holding her up. She practically sighed and almost thanked him, but a second later, he let go and shoved her into the room so hard, she fell to her back on the carpet.

"Sleep tight."

It took a little while, but Jayde eventually fell asleep after crying for a couple minutes, muffling her tears into the pillow. She had to let her tears fall quietly at first but couldn't help it when a few soft sobs escaped her. It wasn't as though she was _completely_ miserable, she just really missed Audrey…or at least her voice, and for some reason, it really added injury to insult when Joker had shoved her to the floor.

Two hours later, Jayde was woken abruptly from her nap by the vague, far-off sensation of a hand gliding through her hair. She hesitated in opening her eyes at first, knowing who she would find sitting there, watching her.

"Time to wake up_, Jaaaayde_… " came that quiet, clowny voice and Jayde scooted down further into the soft, white blankets to escape the hand that kept petting her. If it weren't enough that his violence came so randomly, it was interspersed with these waves of what could be considered gentleness, leaving Jayde no clue as to when his next lashing-out could be. She shivered as the backs of his fingers glided along her exposed shoulder.

When she opened her eyes to sit up, Joker was sitting on the edge of her bed, in full, purple garb again, his hair out of the ponytail and rested messily just above his shoulders. Her sleepy gaze met his and she noticed the smile fade from his face as he noticed the red, puffiness surrounding her eyes.

"Did I make you cry, Jayde?" he asked, frowning, but Jayde shook her head, sliding out from under the covers on the other side of the bed.

"No. I was just rubbing my eyes before I fell asleep." She lied lamely but instantly regretted it as Joker walked over, grabbing her upper arm in his tight, machine-like grip.

"Oh, _Ok_. Well then since you're just a little ray a' sunshine, let's go downstairs, hm?" He marched her through the door and down the stairs, over to the kitchen table where a steaming bowl of soup sat at a single place setting. Kicking the chair out from under the table, he shoved her onto it before pushing it back up to the table. "Eat. We're leaving in thirty." He growled, glaring at her before he disappeared back up the stairs and into his 'lab/office'. Jayde groaned, picking up the spoon. _I don't think I can handle any more Joker surprises…_

Just as he had said, thirty minutes later, Joker was coming back downstairs, clapping his hands loudly, letting a shrill whistle emit from between his lips. "Grizz! Dotcom! Shithead!" Jayde glared up at him from the table as she realized he was referring to her. He grinned back, smacking his hand on the top of her head a couple times as he walked past. "Let's go!"

The troupe exited the house into the garage in a single file line; Grizz, going to the driver's seat while Dotcom slid into the front passenger seat, leaving Jayde and Joker to sit in the back. As they pulled out of the garage, Joker slid his arm behind Jayde's seat, leaning closer.

"So…_enlighten_ us, Jayde. You ever been in a real fight before?" Joker asked randomly, several minutes into the drive but when she looked up at him, confused with the origin of this question, he continued. "…_See_, I've been _trying _to get Dotcom to get into a fight. I've been teaching him everything I know…" Dotcom turned in his seat to look back at them.

"Yeah, I'm an excellent sniper but-.."

"He's a puss up close." Grizz commented in his deep, baritone voice and Joker grinned as Dotcom glared at him. "If anyone is the master fighter here, it's the boss." He went on to say, glancing back at Joker in the rear view mirror. Jayde looked up at him beside her with her eyebrows raised.

"Really…?" she asked, slightly intrigued as Joker smiled smugly.

"Ever punch a guy in the eye so hard, he swallowed it?" he asked moments later, but laughed at the shocked look on Jayde's face as the car fell silent and remained that way until they had reached the inner city of Gotham. The sun had set during the ride and once they had reached the Lower 5th, Joker took his arm from behind Jayde's seat to reach into his pockets and pull out several guns.

"Dotcom, you brought that little gadget of yours right?" he asked, sliding a clip of bullets into the chamber of one of them before handing it up to Dotcom as though this were completely routine. The nerd nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, it's already set for the store." He answered, glancing down at the gun in his hands momentarily before leaning forward to tuck it into the back of his jeans.

"_Goooood_. Grizz, you're gonna come inside with me." Joker instructed before he turned his head to look down at Jayde. "And _yooooou_….are going to stay in the car with it running." She looked back up at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Oh. We're robbing a auto store so I can fix that _ssssexy_ car of yours." He growled, licking his lips as he leaned closer to her face slightly.

The Cadillac stopped behind a small strip of stores just past the main buildings of Gotham and as Joker, Grizz and Dotcom all climbed out, Joker motioned for Jayde to get in the front seat before he walked around to the driver's window.

"We should be back in fifteen minutes. Keep in mind this car has a GPS locating chip in it, so if I come back out here…" he rolled his eyes to the sky momentarily before they narrowed on hers again. "…and you're gone?…I _will_ come find you and I _will_ kill you…and there is _no_ question about this. Yes?" he nodded, his eyes raking across her face. When she did not answer, he reached back inside, gripping her jaw with his hand, jiggling her mouth. "Say _yes _if you understand me."

"Yes."

"Good girl." And with that, his purple coat tails flapped in the breeze as he turned to slip inside the back door of the building.

While she waited, Jayde flipped through the channels of the radio, hoping a good song would be on but of course, the dials were switched to news stations and talk shows so she rolled her eyes, leaning her head back against the seat. What was taking them so long? She looked over to the door with a sigh but jumped a moment later as a loud bang sounded from inside the shop and the door flew open, held that way by The Joker.

"Thank you!" he shouted back into the store, cackling manically as he walked to the back of the Escalade to dump the armful of car parts and gadgets he had just walked out with. Grizz followed him a second later with another load, following Joker who had already gone back in for another.

Jayde watched through the window, somewhat shocked as they kept going in and coming out, taking whatever they wanted, including several buckets of paint, a spray gun, cords and gizmos that she did not recognize. Finally, her jaw hung slack on her face in mild disbelief as Joker, Grizz and Dotcom rolled four tires out, loading them into the back on top of all the other stuff.

However, as they began to climb into the truck again, loud police sirens split the air and flashing lights came zooming around the far corner, down the building from them about a hundred yards. Joker squealed in excitement when he saw this, jumping into the front seat.

"Well, if it isn't Gotham's _swine-est…_Go, Jayde." He growled, pulling his gun from the pocket of his coat just as shots began to ring out. "GO!" he shouted, throwing the car into reverse as Jayde screamed, bullets ricocheting off the heavy metal of the SUV. The tires screeched loudly on the asphalt as Joker rolled down his window, leaning out to throw something as far as he could in the direction of the oncoming police cruisers. Moments later, after she had turned the truck around, an absolutely massive explosion rocked the earth behind them and Jayde glanced in the rear view mirror in just enough time to see the three cop cars go up in flames behind them.

Joker bounced up and down in the seat next to her, howling with laughter as she sped out onto the interstate, taking a short cut back to the long road out to the mansion. "That never gets old, does it, boys?" he asked of Grizz and Dotcom in the back seat who were chuckling as well, but Jayde could tell it was a bit strained.

"No, it's always fun."

He then turned to Jayde, patting her head with his purple glove. "Aww, Jayde. Was that _scary_ for you?" he asked, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder, gazing up at her as she stared out at the road, glancing in the rear view mirror.

"Honestly, not as much as I expected it to." She replied, grinning as Joker sat up, blinking at her. He did not answer immediately but continued to gawk at her as if trying to sense if she really was scared and just didn't want to admit it. But she really wasn't; if anything, she kind of enjoyed the thrill of adrenaline that had shot through her body. She glanced over at him with a shrug.

"Well, good."

At the mansion, twenty minutes later, Joker hopped out practically the second she had stopped the car and was already to the back with Dotcom, pulling open the trunk. At the sight of all the goodies inside, he clapped his hands together, bringing them up to his cheek like a successfully wooed woman.

"Oh, its like _Christmas_!" he squealed and Jayde couldn't help but laugh as he beamed at his trunk load of 'toys'. _That was kinda cute…_she thought, watching him with a grin as he pulled out trinket after trinket, placing them randomly through the garage before bouncing the tires out to rest them against the Corvette.

Jayde stayed out of the way for most of this process but as Joker walked past her once, carrying something metal, he pushed her head playfully but caused it to bang against the window of the Escalade, dazing her momentarily. Without thinking about it, she turned, swung, and hit Joker in the back between his shoulder blades so hard, he stumbled. She hardly had time to blink once before Joker had dropped whatever it was he was holding to turn and spread out his arms.

"Oh, you wanna play? C'mon…Hit me. You get one…no…_two _free ones." He grunted breathlessly and it gave Jayde a sick sort of satisfaction to know she had knocked the wind out of him. As Jayde stared at him, trying to decide whether or not this could potentially get her killed, he stared back but slowly let his eyes drift to the ceiling of the garage and he gasped at what he saw. When Jayde looked up, his hand slapped her face so hard, she saw stars for a moment before she realized what he had done and swung back, punching him in the nose.

Blood immediately spilled down his face and Jayde glanced down at her knuckles, wiping the white greasepaint from his face onto her jeans. "That's one." She murmured as Joker laughed, looking over at Dotcom as he held his hand under the stream of blood from his nose.

"I think _she _can punch harder tha-.." Joker fell to the ground as Jayde swung again, this time hitting him in the side of his face so hard, she could swear she felt one of her fingers break against his jaw. He giggled breathlessly although Jayde could tell he was in pain as he blinked hard, trying to refocus his vision. "My turn!" he said a split second later and Jayde fell to the ground as he grabbed the front of her jeans, yanking her down to the floor of the garage to climb on top of her.

Grizz and Dotcom were watching this happen but did not do a thing to help her as Joker let one hand close around her throat while the other made a fist and pulled back before releasing, hitting her square in the face. Her front teeth cut into his knuckles slightly and Jayde could taste the metallic tang of his blood on the back of her teeth as she groaned, only to receive another to the other side of her face. He was laughing as his hand continued to tighten around her neck and her fingers wrapped around his wrist frantically as she kicked underneath him, gasping for air.

"No, please!" She rasped, her eyes wide as they began to brim with tears and Joker leaned down, releasing his grip only slightly so she could breathe a little. In the light of the garage, he could practically see through her blue orbs into her soul and as she gazed back up at his strangely familiar brown ones, realization dawned on her face. She suddenly recognized those eyes as memories from days prior burst through her mind's dam and she could picture him very clearly gazing back at her through that bookshelf in Gotham.

"Oh god, it _was_ you…" she mumbled, still gripping his wrists but watched his hand none the less as he pulled it back. With a growl, he swung, connecting it with the side of her head, but the last thing Jayde could remember seeing was that cruel grin as he leaned down to tenderly kiss her cheek before everything went black.

When she came around a few minutes later, Joker was watching her with an expression of amusement as he sat next to her, Indian-style on the couch with a bag of ice in his hands. She groaned, reaching up to clutch her face as she shut her eyes again. Her body ached from the inside, out and she whimpered as Joker placed the bag of ice on her face.

"Can we never do that again…?" she groaned, placing her hand over his to keep the bag in place on her nose. Joker giggled and far-off behind her, she heard Dotcom and Grizz laughing as well.

"You started it."

"No! You-….ugh...never mind…" she gave up, mid-argument, knowing it wouldn't do any good. Her face hurt so much, it hurt to even talk so she kept her mouth shut as tears came to her eyes but she kept them closed with the bag of ice still on her face as Joker turned to flip on the TV. The blue light began flickering through the dark living room and she could see it through her eyelids, amazed but yet not entirely surprised by how little Joker cared that he had just beaten her senseless. She hiccupped at this thought and the tears she was fighting so hard to keep back spilled down her cheeks, down her chin and down her neck.

He must have noticed this for a moment later, Joker's long arm curled around her shoulders gently and he pulled her closer until she was right up against his side. This random onset of affection brought on more tears and Jayde could not help but sob softly against his vest as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder and neck.

"Shh, sh, sh, sh…You're Ok…" he cooed in a voice most unlike his normal one and Jayde practically shivered at the sound of it; she wished he would talk like that more often.

For a long time, she sat next to The Joker, curled against him as he stroked her shoulder, watching a movie, lulling her into a relaxed state that she could hardly identify with. This side of Joker was definitely winning her over; she just wished he was this gentle all the time, not broken up by his random bursts of asshole-ness and violence. By the time she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep against his shoulder, Jayde had forgiven him mentally for breaking her face.

An hour later, Grizz and Dotcom stood in front of the couch with folded arms, staring at the sleeping Joker and Jayde, rested against each other.

"Think we should wake 'em up?" Dotcom asked, glancing up at Grizz, who took a deep breath, cocking his head to the side, surveying the situation. Jayde had fallen asleep against Joker's shoulder but her head had slid further onto his chest as they had settled against each other. Joker, on the other hand, had fallen asleep with his cheek rested against the top of her head, semi-sprawled out along the couch with his arm still around her shoulders.

"Hell nah. Boss'd be so pissed if he knew we saw him like this. We better just leave 'em." Grizz replied so that's exactly what they did and Jayde and Joker slept on until the earliest rays of sunshine began to filter through the blinds.

Joker woke first with a start and a grunt, blinking several times in confusion as he frowned at his surroundings sleepily. Sometime during the night, he had apparently lay down along the couch and Jayde had fallen asleep half next to him, half on top of him, against the cushions with her head on his chest, under his chin. Her messy hair was all over him, in his face and he pushed her off of him with a shove to sit up and rub his eyes while Jayde groaned. As she sat up, she seemed to realize through the same series of thoughts what had happened and she scooted away from him promptly, blinking.

As the air conditioning blew over them, Jayde felt a wet spot on the top of her head and she reached up to find a small puddle of drool in her hair where Joker's cheek had been resting. When she looked over at him, he had just found the wet spot on his vest where Jayde had drooled on _him_ and was scowling in disgust when he noticed Jayde watching him. He frowned.

"Don't even look at me like that." She said sleepily, pointing at her hair. "You drooled on my _head._"

It took a second, but Joker burst out into the most genuine, honest laugh she had heard from him and it came from deep inside his chest as he leaned over, rubbing his eyes. She remembered what Dotcom had told her yesterday and he had been right; she instantly recognized it and it was the cutest and greatest laugh she had ever heard.


	11. A State Of Flux

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone for continuing to read! I couldn't help but put an ultra long chapter out there. I didn't want to break this chapter into two parts, so more for you to read! : D I want to thank in particular for their reviews…JokersChaosPrincess, blaqkrose, and TheJoker'sGotMyHeart. Your constructive feedback helps me want to write more and faster, so keep 'em comin, please! :D Thanks, guys!

Aaaand…Here. We. Go.

It was just barely seven in the morning and yet after Joker had disappeared upstairs, Jayde was feeling wide awake and knew that it would be pointless to try and go back to sleep. The early morning sun was golden and crisp, inviting her out onto the back patio where the pool was glimmering as it rippled. She sat down at the table, reaching up to feel her head. The drool in her hair had dried but she did not really mind; it was just Joker drool. She grinned to herself as the sound of his deep laugh echoed in the back of her mind but she sighed a moment later, crestfallen. Jayde knew that she probably would not get to hear that laugh again anytime soon.

For some reason or another, Jayde's left eye was feeling a bit swollen but when she reached up to touch it, she winced, pulling her fingers back. _Oh yeah…_she thought bitterly. _Joker beat the shit out of me last night._ Her jaw clicked and popped as she opened her mouth widely, shutting it, doing this several times to stretch it out. Surprisingly, for as hard as he hit her, he had not broken anything but Jayde just figured he had gone super easy on her…If he could make someone swallow their own eye, Jayde was pretty sure he had turned it down a couple notches for their fight.

The sliding glass door slid open and Dotcom stepped out, yawning, yanking a finger through his messy, morning curls. "Hey." He mumbled with a sleepy grin which Jayde returned.

"Hey." She replied, watching as he took out his pack of cigarettes to light one. "You're up early." Dotcom shook his head, leaning back in the seat.

"No, I'm always up at this time." He explained, but continued when Jayde continued to stare at him blankly. "…Joker's room is right next to mine. He's kinda…loud in the mornings…Well, no, I take that back…He's loud all the time." Jayde nodded her agreement.

"Just so you know, you've got one hell of a black eye." Dotcom said quietly a moment later as though he thought this would offend her but Jayde laughed, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I figured. It hurts." She replied, poking it lightly with her finger.

"Speaking of which, seems like you n' boss made up alright." He grinned, arching an eyebrow. "You two seemed purrr-etty cozy last night."

Jayde groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, it was quality bonding time." She said sarcastically. "We even drooled on each other." Dotcom laughed, pointing at her head.

"There's white and red makeup in your hair." Jayde scoffed, glancing upward, grinning as Dotcom continued to laugh until the doors slid open and Joker stepped out. He was wearing the jeans and white t-shirt again and was just in the process of tying his hair back when he turned and noticed Jayde and her black eye.

"Wow! Now, _that's_ a shiner!" he exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips to smirk with something that almost looked like pride.

"Yeah, it's real funny." She nodded as Joker laughed. "Gimme another one and we can match!" she said, indicating the black rings of makeup around his eyes and the smirk slid from his face quickly. Luckily, he ignored her comment, turning to Dotcom.

"Dotcom, I need your…_assistance._" He said, glaring down at the nerd as he rocked back in the chair. "I want to run diagnostics on the car to get a baseline before we switch all the parts out…so…" he whistled, pointing at the door. Jayde watched as Dotcom handed the cigarette to Joker before he disappeared inside to go upstairs and get his meters. Joker took a hit of the cigarette, crossing his arms over his chest, surveying Jayde behind half-lidded eyes. A moment later, he pointed at her. "My face is in your hair."

"I'm aware of that, thanks."

They didn't say anything else but Joker went back inside once the cigarette was finished and Jayde was beginning to feel that sleepiness begin to work it's way back into her body. She yawned, standing up from the table to go up to her bedroom and get a couple more hours. But once she got there, she turned the knob to find it locked. _No fucking way._

Marching back down the stairs, we went straight over to the garage door to open it and step out with her arms crossed.

"Can I please get in the room to go to sleep?" she asked of Joker, looking down at him as he sat on a tarp amidst a sea of car parts, fiddling with the one in his hands, looking somewhat like a little boy on Christmas morning. He did not take his eyes from the part.

"Nope."

"But-"

"Nope!"

"Please?-"

"No!" he said, finally looking up at her with his eyebrows raised as his hand slid behind him and back out, producing a small handgun. He cocked it, pointing it at her knee cap. "Now, ask me again." Jayde shut her mouth, glancing at Dotcom who had turned to watch this exchange with a poorly hidden grin on his face. She glared daggers at The Joker once more before she went back inside, fuming and cursing him under her breath as she stormed into the kitchen.

An hour later, when Jayde couldn't find anything to do, she walked into the kitchen to get something to eat when a loud bang sounded from the garage. A second later, Joker's loud voice carried through the door.

"Fucking SHIT!!"

Jayde jumped back as the door flew open and Dotcom ran in, his eyes wide as he shut the door behind him quickly.

"He just smashed his finger and still had that gun, and-.." Jayde laughed loudly. "I just didn't wanna be in the way, you know?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

When Dotcom felt it was safe enough to return to the garage, Jayde went with him, grinning at Joker's back as he bent over the car's engine. The back of his shirt had risen only an inch or so, but between it and the line of his jeans, she could see a strip of material of purple boxers and her grin expanded. She ignored it, however, moving to sit in the front seat of the Escalade, across from the Corvette; she had a feeling giving The Joker a wedgie could result in a cruel and unusually painful death.

Jayde was watching him crank some sort of wrench inside all the mechanics of the car and after several attempts, a greasy part came out, dripping with oil. Joker made a face at it, dropping it to the floor on a tarp across from all the new parts.

"Jayde, if you're going to watch, at least make yourself…uh…_useful_?" he said, glancing over at her. "Grab a brush and some water and get to scrubbin'." He instructed, pointing at the heap of old, greasy car parts. However, when she moved to obey his orders although reluctantly, a police car pulled in the driveway just outside the garage, a tall officer immediately stepping out to glance around.

Jayde froze, torn between being excited that she would be going home and disappointed that she had to go back to work and her dull life. When she had expected Joker to run or start firing, he did neither and instead grabbed a towel from behind him, wiping his hands as he approached the officer, who had by now stepped into the garage and was admiring the car.

"Wow, she's a beaut.." he commented and Jayde's mouth fell open as he shook hands with Joker. _What??_

"Yeah, but she's dead. I'm doing a little, uh…_surgery_." Joker replied, still trying to scrape grease from between his fingers.

"Who's is it?" the officer asked, leaning to the side to peer around him as Joker pointed over his shoulder at Jayde who was still standing there in shock, looking the slightest bit dumbfounded. He raised his eyebrows at Joker as though in surprise of what he saw. "Nice choice." Jayde fisted her hands, angrily. Is that what she was?…Joker's _choice? _ His _selection? _

"What've you got for me?" Joker asked, not paying the officer's words a bit of mind as he looked down at the manila folder in his hand.

"The plate you asked for. A buddy of mine down at the DMV made it for me. Had to pay him a bit but…" the officer explained, watching Joker's face as he pulled a license plate from the envelope. When Joker grinned, Jayde could practically hear the officer deflate in relief. He held it up, looking over at Jayde. 'Joe Kerr' it read and Jayde had to fight really hard not to roll her eyes.

Joker must have noticed the confused look on her face earlier, as he frowned, pointing at the officer next to him. "What? You never heard of a con-fid-en-tial informan-t before?" he asked, smiling wickedly but Jayde ignored him, continuing to stare. Joker's eyes narrowed onto hers and in this moment, Jayde finally began to understand; Joker _owned_ Gotham. He could over-power and manipulate anyone he wanted through fear and his ruthless reputation. Her heart fell to her feet as she sat down to start scrubbing parts…She finally understood; Joker owned _her _ and it had only been three days. He said sit, she sat. He said jump, she asked how high. He said move, she danced.

For nearly an hour after the policeman had left, Jayde sat on the floor of the garage, practically getting stepped on as she scrubbed greasy car parts, dunking them in warm soapy water. Joker kept glancing down at her from the front of the car and as she picked up the last piece, he walked over, taking it from her hand to drop it onto the tarp and begin bundling the whole thing up. Jayde stood up and was about to ask why when he walked over to a large metal trash-can and dumped the whole thing inside.

"Why are you throwing those out?" she asked irritably as he turned around, brushing his hands off on his jeans.

"They're old. We have _new _ones!" he replied, grinning as Jayde's eyes grew wide and she fisted her hands into her hair, looking slightly crazy.

"Then why the hell did you have me clean all of them?!" she asked, throwing her arms, remembering how she had thought to herself _'better make them spotless or Joker will be mad'. _He simply grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

"I dunno."

Jayde really, really wanted to hit him, but remembering her tender, black eye, she did nothing but squeal angrily before stomping out of the garage, into the house and out onto the porch. She paced for a few moments, breathing hard, trying to vent some of her frustration before she went back out and strangled him. She laughed at this thought out loud; yeah right, like she could ever strangle The Joker. He would probably rip her clean in half before she could even fit her hands around his neck.

She sighed heavily, taking one foot to the back of her shoe to step out of it before doing the same thing to the other and she knelt, peeling off her socks. It was really hot in the garage and some of her baby curls were sticking to her slightly sweaty face so she sat at the edge of the pool, slowly lowering her feet in after rolling up the legs of her jeans.

The water was cool enough to send a shiver through her body, but Jayde hardly had time to enjoy it before Joker suddenly sat down next to her out of nowhere, faced the other way but leaned back so he could see her face. She jumped, glancing over at him; she hadn't even heard the sliding glass door open.

"Are you _mad_ at me, Jayde?" he asked, leaning back and over in front of her, fighting to make eye contact with her as she tried to avoid him.

"Are you gonna hit me if I say yes?" she asked with her chin rested in the palm of her hand on her knee, finally looking at his eyes. For the first time since she had been kidnapped, she noticed how bright of a brown his eyes were as the sun shone through the screen onto them.

"Nooo…" he answered but when Jayde hesitated, glaring at him skeptically, he softened his eyes into a perfect, pleading, puppy-dog gaze. "I _promise_."

Jayde sighed, switching hands. "Then, yes. I am." Joker turned around, crossing his legs to face the same way as her at the edge of the pool and Jayde couldn't fight the grin that forced it's way out when he rested his head on her shoulder. She couldn't place why, but she found it so cute when he did that.

"Should I say sorry?" he asked as though he honestly didn't know what to do. Joker really didn't care that she was mad at him but he wanted her to think he did. "Would that make it better?" he lifted his head slightly to see her face and she nodded, pursing her lips to keep from smiling. Why was he being so freaking cute all of a sudden??

"Ok, then I'm _sorry._" He said, but then flicked out his arm to look at his watch. Jayde could hear him counting seconds quietly as he watched the long hand tick by. "…..Still mad at me?" he asked after he had waited for what he felt was an adequate amount of time to let it sink in.

Jayde rolled her eyes to the screen above them, thinking over it before she shrugged. "No, I'm better now."

"Good." He said, standing up to pat the top of her head a few times before he went back inside. Jayde took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. Damn him and his two personalities!

Later that evening, Jayde decided she would make dinner for the house, seeing as to how she had absolutely nothing to do and hadn't figured out where they kept the movies yet. After locating a couple pots and pans, she made due with what she could find and began to boil water on the stove for pasta. Grizz was lurking around, cleaning his guns at the kitchen table while he watched TV and Jayde kept glancing at him uncertainly out of the corner of her eyes.

The garage door opened several minutes into her cooking and Joker, followed by Dotcom stepped inside, groaning as the air conditioning hit him full-blast. Jayde glanced over but back down quickly as Joker walked over and she squealed in disgust, trying to pry his arms off as he pulled her into a sweaty bear hug from behind, leaving the back of her shirt drenched in his stickiness.

"UGH!! God, you are so GROSS!!" she shouted at his back as he walked away, trotting up the stairs, cackling at his own annoying-ness. Jayde turned, looking to Dotcom who had walked over.

"That's how Joker flirts." He said, winking as he walked away and Jayde rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well it's _really_ cute.." she groaned sarcastically, walking over to the stairs to go up and change her shirt.

An hour later, dinner was just about ready and Jayde was looking through the cabinets for bowls when Joker came in, wearing his purple, pin-stripe pants and blue shirt which he had failed to tuck in. His hair was wet and he smelled clean as he stood next to Jayde at the stove, watching her stir the white creamy sauce as though it were just about the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

"Does it smell good?" she asked, grinning up at him but frowned a second later as he walked away, running his fingers through his combed hair.

"Nope." he said over his shoulder and she rolled her eyes, knowing he was lying.

Once she had gotten the table set and the dinner served into four bowls, she set them down before turning to face the living room with her hands on her hips. "You guys hungry?" she asked, grinning as Dotcom stood up to walk over, taking a deep breath.

"Hell yeah! It smells awesome, Jayde, you're the best." He said, patting her on the shoulder as he sat down at the table. She smiled, sitting across from him.

"Thanks. You're the only one who's nice to me." She replied, looking at Joker pointedly as he walked down the stairs toward them.

"Shut up." He snapped, poking the side of her head with his finger as he passed her. "I'm _super _ nice to you. In _fact,_ you should probably start worshipping the ground I walk on."

Once Grizz had joined them at the table, Jayde looked around her, grinning slightly at the little family she had acquired, albeit a strange one. They started eating in silence at first but a few moments passed before Jayde's curiosity got the better of her. She leaned forward, looking at Joker across the table.

"Pretty good, huh?" she asked, grinning. He glanced up, taking a bite, chewing as his eyes rolled to the ceiling, pondering the tastes in his mouth.

"Nope. It's terrible." He finally replied, smirking as the grin slid from Jayde's face and again, she had to fight to keep her eyes from rolling exasperatedly. Dotcom glanced at Joker uncertainly before he spoke up.

"I think it's awesome, Jayde." He said quietly.

"I do too. It's really good." Grizz's low voice agreed a second later and Jayde smiled, holding up her middle finger as Joker looked over at her. He ignored this but glared at both Grizz and Dotcom for disagreeing with his poking fun at her cooking.

Once everybody had eaten their fill, Jayde took the dishes back into the kitchen but Dotcom followed her and began to fill the sink up with water. "I'll wash the dishes." He said, taking them from her hands with a smile. "I can't remember the last time someone cooked here besides me."

"Well…thanks!" she said and once she had brought in the rest of the dishes from the table, she left him alone in the kitchen and went to the living room where Joker was sitting on the floor, his legs spread out. Walking around him, she noticed his creepy spider crawling around on the carpet between his legs. His hand was fanned out in front of it, letting it crawl over his fingers. She stopped mid-step, backing away.

"Ugh, that thing is so gross." She murmured and Joker craned his neck to look up at her, looking hurt.

"Don't say that about George. He probably thinks the same thing about you." He said and Dotcom's voice came from the kitchen.

"Oh god, is the spider out?" he asked and Jayde called back.

"Yeah, he's letting it crawl on the carpet."

Joker grinned widely as they heard Dotcom shudder violently. He held his hand up to his mouth, whispering "He's scared of spiders."

Once Dotcom had finished the dishes, he looked over to where Jayde was standing next to Joker as he sat on the floor, both of them watching George crawl around. Taking out his pack of cigarettes, he called her name, obviously not wanting to go anywhere near them. "Jayde, you wanna come smoke with me?" he asked and Jayde nodded, following him out onto the porch.

While they sat, he looked inside through the glass doors, shuddering again. "God, that thing freaks me out." Jayde laughed, lighting the cigarette he had just passed her.

"Yeah, it just seems to fit that such a freaky person would just _love _to have a freaky pet. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a leash for it." She replied and they both laughed.

"So…did you choose the name 'Dotcom'?" she asked but as he looked over at her pointedly, Jayde laughed again. "I didn't think so…If you don't mind me asking, what's your real name?"

"Andrew." He answered. "Joker didn't seem to like it so he dubbed me Dotcom. I don't mind it though. I've always been into computers so I guess it just fits." When Jayde opened her mouth to ask another question, he cut across her. "And Grizz's name is Mortise." Jayde nodded pensively, taking a hit of her cigarette when the doors slid open and Joker walked out.

Dotcom jumped up out of his chair, away from Joker, who laughed, holding up his hands. "Relax, nerd, I put him upstairs." Dotcom settled back into his chair and Jayde smiled at him understandingly but groaned as Joker sat heavily on her lap, taking her cigarette from her.

"Smoking is so unattractive for a lady." He said, putting it between his lips to take a hit, but Jayde reached up, taking it from him.

"So you shouldn't smoke either." She joked, but cringed as he smacked her cheek like she expected him to, although much lighter than he normally did. When she looked up, he was grinning. _He liked my joke! _ She thought triumphantly as he moved to get off her lap and stand up, stretching his arms up over his head with a groan.

It fell quiet on the porch as Dotcom and Jayde smoked in silence, watching Joker, standing in front of the pool, as he glared out at the large, darkened backyard through the screen as crickets chirped away. Jayde stared at his painted face, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to imagine what he looked like without it. The scars, she knew would still be there regardless of the makeup, but the more she stared, the more she began to think that The Joker _might _ possibly be fairly attractive under the white paint. She had seen him without makeup twice before in the past although from a distance but she also did not know it was him at the time, so thinking back, she could not get her mind to picture it.

Across from her, Dotcom had finished his cigarette and was standing up from the table, putting it out in the ashtray. "I'm gonna go in." he murmured to her and quickly made his departure through the glass doors. Jayde looked down at the cigarette in her hand to find it was nearly to the filter so she stood up as well, but felt the mischievous side of her begin to creep up as she glanced at Joker with his back to her, standing, oh, so close to the pool.

She wanted to think of the consequences as being somewhat dire but she remembered that Joker had still not killed her and from the way he made it seem, it didn't appear likely that he would kill her over something so trivial as getting him a little wet. If he beat her ass for it, oh well; at least it would be funny for a minute until he resurfaced.

"I'm gonna go in." she said, walking up behind him and as he turned to look at her, she seized the moment, shoving her hands against his chest. As though he had been expecting this, his hands grabbed her wrists as he fell and Jayde went right in with him, screaming as they crashed into the water.

She gasped as she surfaced, frantically looking around for Joker who had seemingly disappeared, but a second later, she screamed again as his hands grabbed her ankles under the water, yanking her under. Her screams continued, muffled by the water and she felt his arms wrap around her waist as she wiggled, kicking to get away from him until she eventually made it back up, gasping for air again as he surfaced a foot or so away from her.

A moment passed where Jayde looked over at him to find that his makeup was now running all down his face and neck, seeping into the collar of his shirt and as his eyes slid to hers in a glare, he grinned, looking more evil than ever. However, his grin was not one of anger or anything malicious, but Jayde still screamed, swimming for the wall as he rushed toward her, reaching for her ankle. She had just about made it half out of the pool when he grabbed her around her middle, hoisting her over his shoulder to throw her back into the water. She was screaming with laughter at this point as Joker followed her, but instantly all giggles stopped when he pinned her against the other wall of the pool, placing his arms on either side of her on the tile of the patio. He planted his feet on the floor of the pool to stand up in the shallow end and he glared down at Jayde with a strange smirk she had never seen on his face before. Her eyes slid over his bare face and Jayde felt her stomach flip over. She had been right; not only was he slightly attractive, he was down-right _handsome._

He moved closer an inch, their chests now touching and Jayde had to look away, feeling more and more awkward by the second as he eyed her lips jealously. He wanted that and had no problem showing her, but he took the subtle route and reached out, letting his hand touch her throat gently just under her chin, his thumb sliding down the front of her neck as his other four fingers glided along the curve. His eyes followed the movement of his hand but he looked to her eyes when he noticed her close them, taking a deep breath. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was he hurting her?

Jayde tried not to shiver as he fit his forefinger and middle under her chin, lifting it slightly so she would look at him. When she kept her eyes closed, his frown deepened. "Look at me." He said quietly but in a voice that demanded she do this. She obeyed, opening her eyes and the look he found there in the blue depths told him all he needed to know. "You're a _virgin_, aren't you…" he put this more as a statement than a question but Jayde turned away from him, pulling herself up out of the water to slosh over to the sliding glass door, her shoulders hunched. Joker watched her do this from the pool but did not follow her until he saw her go up the stairs through the glass doors.

When he found her a few minutes later, she was sitting on the carpet, leaning against her locked door, shivering from the air conditioning. She looked down at her lap as he approached, wanting nothing less than to have to look him. The keys jingled above her in his hand momentarily before she heard the lock click out of place and his hand appeared in front of her face, held out for her to take. He helped her stand but when she half-expected him to make a remark, she looked up to find that he was walking away, down the hall, unbuttoning his drenched shirt as he went.


	12. The Devil In The Pale Moonlight

**Author's Note: **I'm really happy with this chapter, even though it's even longer than the last. Haha Again, thanks for the reviews and adds!! If any of you guys have some ideas of what you'd like to see happen in the future of this story, you can email me or IM me on AIM: lovelyxlady389 I'm pretty much always on and open to ideas! :D Read on! Oh and if you want to see a picture of Jayde's dress, I've got one, so just let me know. kbye

A violent shiver racked Jayde's body as she lowered herself into the hot, steaming water that same night after she had shed her soaked clothes at the bathroom door. She had searched, unsuccessfully, for anything in the bathroom to create bubbles in the tub and was not surprised when her efforts came up fruitless; Joker did not seem like the bubble bath type.

The water swirled around her body, enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth, heating her body back up after being the cold air conditioning in her wet clothes. She let her head lay back against the side of the tub, sighing with her eyes closed. Joker finding out about her virginity had to be the last thing she wanted to happen and now that he knew, she was almost certain he was never going to let her live it down. From the way he mocked Grizz for being black and Dotcom for being a nerd, she was positive he was going to embarrass her for all it was worth. It seemed he had an uncanny ability for pin-pointing a person's weakness, their tender spots to pick on them but Jayde knew it would be impossible to avoid him the next day.

But it wasn't just the sharing of deeply personal information between them in the pool that was bothering Jayde; she had seen his face. It almost made it that much worse to know that Joker was definitely good-looking under that ugly makeup, knowing how he would eye her, licking his lips as though he could see straight through her clothes. She had been relieved the other day to learn that he wasn't some old, creepy guy in his fourties, hitting on her, grabbing her ass and that he was really only a couple years her elder…not that that made him any less creepy…

A couple doors down from Jayde's room, the shower was running in Joker's bathroom although he didn't necessarily need to be cleaned. He stood under the hot water, letting it splatter over him, matting his green hair against his face as he faced the corner, his forehead rested lamely against the tile. He sighed deeply, shivering slightly as his mind replayed clips of the look in Jayde's eyes when she saw his face. Normally, he would have been murderously angry for her stupid playfulness, pushing him in the pool, especially if he hadn't pulled her in with him.

Ever since the first time he had touched her, he had wondered what that look had been in her eyes and now that he knew her secret, it all made sense. She was so innocent, prude even, and it made her horribly uncomfortable when his hands were on her in any sort of way. But there had been a moment, in the pool, when she saw his naked face for the first time where something besides discomfort flashed across her features, through her eyes. He wanted to call it surprise, possibly, but whatever it was, Joker felt the slightest bit relieved to see that she didn't find him completely appalling.

He sighed again, this time louder, followed by a groan as he thought of Jayde. She was so gorgeous, it was almost disgusting and Joker, secretly, found it hard to make eye contact with her sometimes. Her large eyes could seemingly see straight through him, right into his brain and he had to look away occasionally, afraid she might be able to see what he was thinking about doing to her. _Oh, _the _things_ he would do to her…Of course, that was if she would let him…

Knowing she was a virgin made it that much easier but also that much harder to be around her. It made it easier in the sense that Joker didn't have to do much, but also that much harder, because it only made him want her that much more. Her innocence, to him, was like a perfume; intoxicating, thrilling, and addicting. He _had_ to have it.

Joker looked down and groaned, rolling his eyes at his own human reactions to thinking of Jayde in that way; he was hard as a rock. "God damnit…"

Jayde woke the next morning to someone's hand gently shaking her but she slapped it away, turning over further into the blankets. It was far too early on to see Joker. But as the owner of the hand said "Ow!" she turned over, opening her eyes to see Dotcom standing next to the bed, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry, Dotcom. I thought you were-.."

"Yeah, I figured." He glanced around nervously, before he decided it was alright for him to sit on the bed near her feet and he sighed. "I heard you screaming last night. I wanted to make sure you're alright." He said, eyeing her face as though searching for any new bruises but Jayde nodded, sitting up against the pillows.

"I'm fine. I threw Joker in the pool but he pulled me in with him." she replied. "We were just playing around…kind of." Dotcom nodded, looking down at his hands in his lap as he fiddled with his fingers awkwardly. Jayde watched him do this, confused with why he was so nervous until he looked back up, taking a deep breath.

"Jayde, I'm gay." He blurted and Jayde blinked, but smiled a second later, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I just wanted you to know so you didn't think I was…being weird or anything."

"I kinda figured as much." She answered. "No offense, but it's not exactly hard to tell." He laughed, rubbing his shoulder sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know." He paused, but looked over to the door. "Please, _please__, _don't tell Joker. He would kill me…literally."

"What makes you think that?" Jayde asked, frowning as Dotcom glanced at the door again over his shoulder.

"Because I'm a _fag! _You should hear what Joker says about gay people when we see them out in public or something…He would freak out if he knew one of his 'crew-members' was a queen." He explained but sighed audibly as Jayde reached out, touching his shoulder consolingly.

"You can trust me. I wont say a word."

When they went downstairs onto the patio a few minutes later, Jayde glanced around, looking for Joker but Dotcom explained. "He left early this morning. Didn't say where he was going but he said he would be back this afternoon." Jayde sighed with relief and when Dotcom noticed this, he looked over at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked and Jayde looked over uncertainly, feeling just as awkward as she imagined he did just a few minutes prior upstairs.

"Joker found out something about me last night…" she put first, but when Dotcom did not change his expression, continuing to stare at her, she went on. "I'm a virgin…" His eyes widened as he leaned back in the chair.

"Oh…Uh oh.." he said and Jayde nodded.

"Yeah, and he gave me the strangest look…And…I'm pretty sure he almost kissed me." She blurted finally and Dotcom gasped, placing his hand over his mouth, looking gayer than ever.

"Oh my god, you didn't…"

"No!…No, I just really wish I didn't have to see him today." She said, staring down at her lap until he passed her a cigarette, smiling.

"Hate to tell you this, but that's not gonna happen."

For nearly an hour, Jayde and Dotcom sat out on the porch, laughing and talking, smoking cigarettes and getting to know each other on a more personal level now that they each knew the other's deep secrets. They were just laughing at a story Dotcom had told her about he, Grizz and The Joker when somewhere across the patio, they heard a soft 'meow'.

Looking over to the screen door, a small black and white tabby cat was sitting there, blinking placidly at the two of them and it mewed again, pawing at the screen.

"Awww…" they both cooed at the same time and Jayde stood up, walking over to let the stray cat in, smiling down at it as it purred, meowing noisily as it weaved in between her legs. She knelt, holding out her hand to it as it sniffed her fingers, arching it's back as she scratched along it's spine. "Aw, he's so cute!" she squealed quietly, standing to walk back over to Dotcom but a split second later, a loud shot gun blast shook the air and the cat blew up, fur flying everywhere. Jayde jumped, looking over at the screen at the huge, fresh, smoking bullet hole just as Joker appeared outside, holding a rifle. He cocked it, stepping inside as the empty casing popped out, grinning maliciously as he bent to pick up the cat's carcass by the tail to throw it outside.

"What the hell was that for?" Jayde asked, frowning at him as he walked over, carrying a bag. "He was cute and wasn't hurting anything.."

"Yeah, well it could've had rabies and bit you and then I would'a had to put ya down…" he replied, poking out his bottom lip as though the thought actually made him sad. Dotcom snorted a laugh but shrugged as Jayde frowned at him.

It grew awkward immediately after, for Jayde, but Joker seemed to be unbothered by this as he set the bag in his hand down on the table, staring at her expectantly. Jayde glanced at him but shrugged. "What?" she asked at his blank stare and he tossed his arms.

"Well, look in the bag." He said, pushing her toward it with his hands on her back but Jayde resisted, trying to look up at him over her shoulder.

"I think I've had enough of your 'gifts', Joker…Seriously, with the heart and everything…" she said, shaking her head but Joker groaned, pressing his forefinger and thumb on either side of the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in frustration.

"Jayde, just look in the fucking bag. There's nothing _gross_ in there…"

Dotcom was watching all this go down with a grin on his face and as Jayde looked at him uncertainly as if for advice, he shrugged, taking a drag of his cigarette. When she reached in, she felt satin between her fingers and almost hesitated in pulling it out; if he had brought her a negligee, she was going to punch him. Once she realized there was more material than she had first estimated, she pulled it out and both she and Dotcom gasped.

It was a satin, purple dress that would fall to her knees and from the look of the size, it was going to hug her curves in every place possible. "Oh, my god…" she said, eyeing it, completely shocked that she actually, really liked it. Joker was standing next to her, watching her face with a smirk stretching his scars, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, his grin expanded.

"Ya like it?" he asked, a little surprised when she nodded.

"What is it for?" she asked in response, again looking at the dress as she realized she had no shoes to wear with it and Joker sat down at the table.

"Sal Maroni is throwing a lit-tle _shindig _at his estate tonight and he asked me to come and bring a date…So, _date_, you're coming with me." He replied, drumming his fingers on the table. "There are shoes in there too." Jayde nearly gasped but looked inside to find a really, surprisingly cute pair of purple heels to match the dress. All of a sudden, she became aware that it seemed really unlikely of Joker to have this much fashion sense and when she looked at him, as though in answer to her question, he said "Don't get excited, I made some girl pick 'em out."

That evening, at around five o'clock, Jayde looked around for Joker, confused when she couldn't find him to answer her question. He was not in the garage, nor on the porch, nor on the couch, so she went upstairs to knock on the door of his 'office'.

"What?!" he shouted from inside and Jayde took that as her cue to open the door. When she did, he was sitting across the room at his chemical table, peering down at something in a petri dish on a hot plate. His hair was tied back again in that little ponytail and Jayde grinned as she noticed several, ringlet baby curls at the back of his neck. Joker looked up as she stood next to him. "_Yeeeeess?" _

"What time are we leaving?" she asked, glancing at the multi-colored liquids on the table in vials and jars, some of them bubbling and gurgling. His eyes darted to his wrist.

"At seven. So be ready. I'm _very_ impatient…" he said and went back to what he was doing, but when Jayde continued to stand over him and watch, he slowly looked up at her, glancing her up and down before he placed his hand on her stomach, pushing her away. "_Goooo-uh_…"

Jayde had just slipped the dress on an hour and a half later and was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting it at her hips when the door creaked open and Dotcom's curly head peered around the edge, grinning. "Can I see?" he asked and Jayde nodded, waving him in. He shut the door behind him and gasped, placing his hands over his mouth. "Oh, _wow_…you look amazing…"

She looked back into the mirror, adjusting the straps over her shoulders, tugging it down until the whole dress came together, hugging her curvy frame. Cocking her head to the side, she looked herself up and down, giving the critical eye to every inch of material covering her body. Her hair had dried perfectly into large, loopy curls that fell down her back and as she stepped into the shoes, she decided that, yeah…she looked alright.

"Thanks," she finally said to Dotcom, smiling over her shoulder. "Can you zip me up?" He obliged, shaking his head as he slid the zipper up her back.

"I don't think Joker will be able to keep his hands off you tonight." He murmured, laughing as Jayde rolled her eyes. "I'm just warnin' ya." He pulled her hair out from the back of the dress, patting it down along her back, picking a couple stray fibers from the material, basically making sure she looked her best, like any good gay friend should. "Promise you'll tell me everything tomorrow." He said and both burst out laughing.

Joker frowned from downstairs as the sound of two people laughing carried to his ears and was just in the process of turning to look at the balcony when Jayde's door opened and she stepped out, glancing down at herself one last time. His jaw fell open so hard, it hurt and he dropped the stack of papers he had been holding, not even bothering to hide the effect the sight of her in that dress had on him. When Dotcom stepped out behind her, Joker's eyebrows furrowed again and he ignored the papers on the floor to walk over to the bottom of the stairs as she began to come down.

Jayde looked up, immediately blushing wildly as she spotted Joker, leaning on the rail of the stairs, smirking. A low whistle came from between his lips as he held out his hand for her to take as she stepped off the bottom stair and he spun her, looking her up and down.

"You look _to die for…_" he growled, grinning when he noticed how rosy her cheeks had gotten and she looked away, tucking a curl behind her ear. Her eyes glanced him over once, noting how clean and fresh his purple suit looked, along with his makeup which he had taken extra care with that evening; even his hair seemed a little more green and combed. Jayde smiled genuinely, taking his arm as he led her off the stairs and she got a strong whiff of that cologne of his.

"You look handsome as well, Joker." She commented quietly, glancing up as he looked down at her with an arched eyebrow. "No, I'm serious. You look nice." She nodded but glanced over her shoulder at Dotcom with a grin as Joker opened the door for her as though she were leaving for prom with her date. He waved, grinning as they stepped out into the garage and beyond the door.

Jayde was thoroughly surprised when Joker led her over to the passenger side of the Escalade, opened the door for her and waited until she was seated before he closed it for her, grinning through the glass as though he knew what she was thinking. When he got in on the driver's side, Jayde was staring out the window at the garage, deep in thought when something velvet touched her elbow. Looking down, she noticed Joker holding a long, slender jewelry box to her and he nodded, pushing it toward her.

"I got you something else." He said and paused before turning on the car to watch her face when she opened it and her reaction did not disappoint. She gasped, closing it quickly again once she had seen the diamonds inside and she looked up at him with her mouth hanging open.

"Joker…" she breathed, staring at him, absolutely floored by this gift as he smirked, starting the SUV to back out of the garage. "Did you steal this?" she asked a moment later, hoping the question wouldn't offend him. Rather, it did the opposite and he smiled widely, nodding, rather proud of himself. Jayde grinned, pulling the stunning diamond necklace from the box to link it around her neck. For some reason, to her surprise, the thought of him stealing that just for her made it that much more special. _This is very out of character for him…_she thought, but smiled none the less as the Cadillac began picking up speed.

Whoever Sal Maroni was, his estate was not all that far from The Joker mansion and Jayde leaned to the side, gazing up at the massive home to the right of her as she and Joker pulled up, fifteen minutes later. Once he had parked, Joker got out and walked around, holding out his hand to Jayde as she stepped down from the truck, smoothing out her dress. The leather of his glove felt as soft as baby's skin in her hand and she glanced up at Joker as he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, glancing around with that usual scowl on his face. Jayde grinned, gripping his upper arm as they walked up a long pathway, leading to two massive front doors, which opened before they even needed to knock or ring a bell.

A servant or butler of sorts had opened the door but grunted when Joker's gloved palm met his face, pushing him back as they stepped inside and Jayde couldn't help but laugh under her breath at Joker's blatant rudeness. Just inside, a whole sea of people stood, milling about, drinking champagne or other concoctions and their eyes all flew to Joker and his date just as a shorter, well-dressed man with graying hair and a slight limp walked over, leaning on a cane.

"Mister Joker, I'm glad you came." He said, holding out his hand to shake The Joker's although he suppressed a cringe with difficulty when Joker must have gripped it a little too tight. Jayde grinned again, looking away.

"Maroni, this is my date, Jayde." Joker introduced her, looking past Maroni to where a large table sat, atop which stood many bottles of alcohol. Jayde noticed this but took her hand from Joker's arm to shake Maroni's hand as he extended it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jayde. You look stunning." He said, leaning down to kiss Jayde's hand only to jerk away when Joker slapped them apart, scowling. "Alright, well there's plenty to drink for everyone so please, everyone-" he began speaking to the room immediately and Joker and Jayde moved away, down the hallway into a larger room, full of more people who again all turned to stare.

Joker leaned down as they passed through the room, speaking in her ear. "See the way everyone's staring at you?" he asked, and Jayde nodded, glancing around awkwardly.

"Yeah but I think that's just because I'm here with _you._" She replied, stepping outside onto a veranda as Joker's hand slipped onto the small of her back.

"_Noooo_, it's actually because you're drop-dead, _fucking _gorgeous." He murmured, forcing a grin onto Jayde's face as her cheeks began to burn pink again. "I don't know how you don't see it, Jayde." He said, letting go to turn and face her with his eyebrows raised.

Had it not been for a man walking up, the moment would have grown incredibly awkward for Jayde, but luckily he was shaking hands with Joker, taking his attention from Jayde. He grinned rather maliciously.

"Well, well, Carmine _Fal-coni_…To what do I owe this…uh…great displeasure?" Joker asked, licking his lips as he smirked at his word play and the mobster's eyes narrowed although he still smiled.

"You know that Salvatore is one of my favorite…'nephews'…It's only fitting that I come to his birthday." He replied before his gaze shifted to Jayde and his eyebrows rose as he looked back to Joker. "Wow, she's beautiful, clown, how much did you have to pay this one?" Jayde's mouth almost fell open but Joker bounced back, still grinning widely.

"This one was a little bit more. Luckily, I had some extra cash left over from your mother…talk about a _cheap date.." _he replied, his dark eyes flashing as he laughed.

"You son of a-.." Falconi made to swing on him, but was stopped by who Jayde assumed was his wife, who had walked up in just enough time to catch his arm.

"Carmine!" she whispered hoarsely, glaring at her husband. "Do not make a scene…"

Once they had walked away, Joker turned to Jayde, glancing around. "Stay here. I'll be _right_ back." He said and disappeared off the veranda into a back door. Jayde frowned after him, feeling awkward already as she certainly did not know one person at this party and she could already feel people staring at her.

While Joker was gone, Jayde did her best to seem preoccupied, examining the ends of her hair until a young man in a black suit walked up, holding out his hand genially. Jayde's eyes widened and she glanced around nervously, hoping Joker was not watching, for this man's sake.

"Hi, you seem a bit lost. I'm Derek Robertson. You are…?" he looked to her expectantly but Jayde shook her head, backing away a step.

"You should probably get lost too…I'm here with The Joker…" she explained, looking apologetic but before the young man could walk away, his eyes flew over her shoulder to where she was guessing Joker was stalking up behind her, looking evil as per the usual. But instead of shooting him or hitting him like she expected him to, Joker simply gave the young man the same treatment he gave the doorman except this time, he pushed him away by means of his hand on his face.

"They're about to do the toast and then we're outta here." He murmured, sliding his arm around Jayde's waist as Derek glared over his shoulder at the two of them as he walked away. Jayde nodded, standing slightly closer to Joker as a butler walked past them carrying a tray of champagne glasses full of that light amber liquid, bubbling as it caught the light. Joker noticed her do this and grinned, tightening his grip around her waist, surprised with the way she did not seem nearly as uncomfortable around him when she was wearing that dress. He wondered vaguely how long that would last…

The large group of people began to slowly spill onto the veranda from the dining room and as Joker and Jayde watched from a slight distance, the butler walked over, offering them each a glass of champagne. Joker took the last two off the tray, handing one to Jayde, only to stick a foot out and trip the poor man as he walked away. He giggled through his nose as the butler glared at his back and Jayde rolled her eyes.

Sal Maroni and Carmine Falconi had pushed through the crowd at some point and were now standing at the front, hushing everyone to get their attention as they held up their glasses. "Tonight, we're celebrating-…" Jayde zoned out during this little birthday speech, looking down at the liquid in her glass, swirling it absentmindedly while she tried to ignore the fact that Joker was gliding his finger up and down the small of her back along the zipper of her dress.

When everyone moved to raise their glasses, Joker and Jayde copied, but Joker leaned over, pressing his nose against the side of her head to whisper "Don't drink it." Although confused, she obeyed, watching as everyone else did, however, and Joker threw his over his shoulder behind him, laughing. "Alright, tutz, lets get outta here." He said, placing both of their glasses on the railing to lead her through the house and back out the front door, making no stops to say goodbye to anyone or even to look around.

Outside, Joker sighed, taking Jayde's hand under his arm again and he slowed their pace to a leisurely stroll. "Come take a walk with me." He said as if Jayde had a choice and began to lead her down a slight incline toward a small lake, surrounded by trees, casting odd shadows on the ground as the moon had come out while they were inside.

They walked in silence at first, Joker absorbed in his own musings until Jayde remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"What did you do to the champagne?" she asked, looking up at him to find he was smiling as though he had been waiting for her to ask.

"Well, let's just say…" he reached down, pulling the sleeve of his coat back to glance at his watch. "…that right about now, it's one giant puke-fest back there." He pulled a small, empty vial and eye dropper from a pocket of his coat and Jayde couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks for not letting me drink it." She replied, glancing down at her feet as they walked.

A few feet in front of them, several ducks fled the bank of the lake to swim out onto the water when Joker and Jayde approached, forming ripples that reflected the moon's light. A light breeze blew over them, ruffling Jayde's hair and she felt the cool sensation of the diamonds against her neck. Reaching up, she touched them, smiling somewhat wistfully to herself as she readjusted her hand to grip Joker's strong upper arm. He must have felt this, for he brought his other hand over, placing it over hers gently.

"Tell me something about yourself." Jayde said a few moments later, looking up at Joker as he frowned at the randomness of her request. "Anything. Something that nobody knows." She went on to say, watching his face. Joker took a deep breath, rolling his eyes upward.

"Uhhh…" Jayde watched in suspense as he thought about it for several moments before he spoke. "Well, I was an orphan." He said, looking down at her. "That's something, right?" Jayde nodded, tugging on his arm to make him stop walking as she noticed his pace had begun to quicken. She supposed it was because he was nervous although it was really hard to imagine the Joker as even having the ability for that emotion.

He stopped walking to turn and face her, sliding his hands into his pants pockets somewhat sheepishly. "What about you? You said you don't have parents either." Jayde took a deep breath, rubbing her arm as _she _began to feel nervous; she hated it when he turned the tables like that.

"My parents were murdered two years ago. They were criminal court judges in Montana." She replied quickly, not wanting to spend any more time on the topic than necessary when she was standing less than a foot away from a _mass-_murderer. Joker didn't seem to notice this uneasiness as he rocked back on his heels, glancing down at his shoes. He really didn't like divulging all this information, but she had asked honestly and for some reason, he felt abnormally comfortable around Jayde, telling her such private information about himself that literally _no one _knew.

"Yeah, I never knew my parents." He commented, shrugging. Jayde laughed quietly, looking out over the lake.

"You're lucky," she said. Joker followed her eyes out onto the lake, watching as a few ducks' wings beat the water a ways from them.

"Why's that?" he asked, frowning as she finally looked back up at him, a tiny grin playing with her features in the moonlight.

"You don't know what you're missing."

Joker felt some sort of unfamiliar tug at his heart strings and he stepped forward, letting one of his hands reach out to tuck her hair behind her ear before those fingers slid down her jaw, under her chin. Jayde sighed quietly, closing her eyes to his touch. She wasn't sure when he had taken his gloves off but the feel of his bare hands against her skin was enough to make her weak. His thumb was stroking her cheek, gently, lightly, producing a strange fluttering in her stomach that forced her to shiver slightly and move closer until her cheek met his chest, her head just under his chin. His other arm came up, wrapping around her shoulders to hold her close to him and he closed his eyes against her hair.

Jayde couldn't help herself when her arms did the same around his middle, inside his coat and they linked behind his back, completing their moonlit hug. She grinned against the material of his vest as Joker began to gently rock from side to side, humming something quietly in his chest with his cheek against the side of her head. A few moments later, he brought his arms from around her back to push his fingers into her hair, gently pulling her head from against his chest so he could see her eyes. Jayde fought the urge she felt to look away, forcing herself to meet his gaze as he grinned at her, his eyes darting down to her lips while she did the same to him.

He could tell she was looking at his scars curiously and he never liked her questions to go unanswered, so he reached behind him to take her hands and he placed them on either side of his face, all the while watching her eyes. She took a slow breath in, tracing the tips of her fingers along the jagged surface of his scars, fighting urges to shiver the whole time. They were so violent and deep as they ripped down his face to his mouth and as Joker closed his eyes to her touch, he seemed to enjoy the feel of her hands.

"Do they hurt?" she asked gently, hoping he wouldn't get mad but he shook his head, opening his eyes.

"No." he grinned, reaching out to touch her chin and his thumb touched her bottom lip. "Here, let me show you." And with that, he closed the distance between them, parting her lips with his thumb and he kissed her, gently at first. Jayde nearly gasped against his mouth, but ended up sending her breath the other way in a sigh. She really wanted to pull away, but something in the way his hands cradled her face kept her melted to where she stood. Joker smiled against her lips and Jayde could feel his scars lightly brush against the edges of her mouth. It did not bother her though and neither did the feel of the scar along his bottom lip against hers.

Just as quickly as it had happened, he pulled away, opening his eyes to look down at her as she opened hers, gazing back up at him. He grinned, brushing his thumb along her bottom lip.

"See? That didn't hurt at all did it?" he asked, the grin on his face expanding even further when he could see Jayde blushing even in the shade of the moonlit tree. She shook her head no, but watched as Joker reached down to take her hand, and they walked that way back to the Escalade to go home.


	13. Lucky Number Thirteen

Jayde stirred to consciousness early the next morning in the white canopy bed upstairs, sighing when she turned over and her eyes fell onto the purple dress she had lay carefully on the vanity the night before. A girly grin slid over her features and she buried her face into the pillows. The night before, when she and Joker had gotten back, Dotcom and Grizz had apparently gone to bed or were out somewhere, leaving the house empty. At the top of the stairs, when Jayde had half expected him to kiss her again, Joker simply reached out, touching her face with his hand once more before he grinned and turned to stalk down the hallway, disappearing into his office.

This left her standing there confused, but fully ashamed for feeling slightly disappointed. Her grin widened into the pillows as her mind flew back to the lake at the Maroni estate where she could clearly see herself and The Joker, hugging under that tree. She wondered vaguely how odd it would appear to someone to see The Joker hugging _anyone. _

Once she had gotten dressed, Jayde went downstairs, glancing at Grizz on the couch, watching TV. He must have heard her as he peered over his shoulder before moodily looking back to the television. Jayde rolled her eyes; he must hate her still for burning his face with that coffee.

In the kitchen, Jayde could hear the air drill going on the other side of the garage door and she had a feeling Dotcom and Joker were out there, working on the car, but she did not want to appear too eager to see him. The door opened a few moments later and her head jerked up from the kitchen table, but found it was Dotcom, grinning as he glanced around.

"Come outside with me." He said, grabbing her wrist to pull her up from the table and outside onto the patio. Once the doors had slid shut, he walked over, lighting a cigarette. "Ok, tell me everything and don't give me that shit like nothing happened. Joker has been in the best mood all morning…" he said, rolling his eyes. Jayde grinned, looking down at her lap awkwardly but back up as Dotcom gasped. "Oh god, something _did _ happen between you two…"

"No, nothing like that…He just…" she shrugged, looking away as her cheeks began to burn bright pink, causing Dotcom to lean closer, staring expectantly. "…he kinda…kissed me?" she laughed when Dotcom's mouth fell open.

"Oh my god, and you _let_ him?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief as she hid her face in her hands, laughing as she nodded.

"Dotcom, he was being so…_sweet!_ I've never seen him act like that and I'm pretty positive you never have either." She replied. "It was like a completely different person standing there…I dunno…" she groaned, rolling her eyes. "I know it was a mistake but…" Dotcom watched her sigh, gazing out over the pool and he shook his head, laughing.

"You just opened Pandora's box, Jayde. Don't expect him to give up easily now."

Once he had finished his cigarette, Dotcom convinced Jayde to come out to the garage with him where they found two brightly colored, mis-matched socks sticking out from the under the car. Jayde grinned, slightly reminded of the Wicked Witch of the West crushed under Dorothy's house. Joker must have heard the door open as his muffled voice rang out a second later.

"Dotcom, go wake Jayde up. It's almost eleven."

Jayde looked over at Dotcom, who grinned. "I think she's already up, Boss." He said in a slightly more masculine voice than he used with Jayde. Joker's fingers curled around the end of the car and he slid himself out from under it, blinking a few times up at Jayde as she stood in front of the sun.

"Oh…" he grinned. "Hello there."

"Hi." She replied, returning the smile as he stood up, wiping his hands off on a towel. Feeling awkward in his presence already, Jayde looked to the car. "Uh…How's it coming?" she asked, although she had a feeling Joker knew she didn't really care how it was coming. He ignored her question and tapped his cheek with his finger, staring at her expectantly out of the corner of his eye until she stepped closer to kiss his cheek. When she did, and Jayde didn't know how she didn't see it coming, he turned his face quickly and pecked her on the lips, laughing as she smacked his arm lightly, blushing.

"Now, get outta here." He instructed, kicking her ass as she walked away with a squeal. Jayde rubbed her lips together as she went back inside and as she passed the hall bathroom, she stepped in to glance at the mirror, but laughed to herself at the red makeup on her lips, reaching up to wipe it off. As she passed through the living room, she jumped as the doorbell rang unexpectedly and she and Grizz looked at each other, unsure of what to do or who it even possibly could be.

The garage door opened a second later and Joker walked in, scowling with a long, double-barreled rifle in his hands as he went straight to the door. "Did someone just ring my doorbell?" he asked almost excitedly as though he had been waiting for such an instance to happen. Grizz stood up from the couch, walking over to the door to peer through the tiny peep-hole.

"Yeah. I think it's a Jehovah's witness." He said and Joker giggled, walking over to push him aside.

"Oh, goodie…my favorite." He growled, opening the door. Jayde knew what was going to happen but still watched none the less as the poor man began to say his lines, but froze mid-word as his eyes locked onto The Joker's painted, scarred face. "Let me guess, you wanna tell me about _allll_ the _won-der-ful_ things God has done for you, _yes?" _ he leaned out of the door slightly, toward the man who instantly backed away, tripping off the step in his haste as Joker began to cackle, charging the rifle once as he took aim at his prey who was now running across the lawn.

Jayde jumped from the deafening _crack _ of the rifle shot and just past Joker's arm, she saw the Jehovah's witness fall face first in the grass. Joker was howling with laughter, clutching his sides as he leaned against the frame of the door. "Grizz, go get 'im." He said once his laughter had subsided and Grizz immediately obeyed to take the body somewhere to hide it. Joker sighed wistfully, glancing at the rifle in his hands adoringly. "It's _so _ refreshing.." he said to no one in particular as he stepped back out into the garage.

An hour later, Jayde was bored, again, and lacking something to do. She would've gone out in the garage to watch Joker and Dotcom but had a feeling Joker would try and put her to work again in some useless, pointless task. However, after she had sat and stared at the blank TV screen for quite some time, she decided that a useless task might be just what she needed to keep herself occupied.

Just as she stepped outside, Dotcom was climbing into the driver's seat and Joker was scowling intently at the engine of the car with his hands on his hips as though if it didn't start, he was going to murder it like the Jehovah's witness. When the key turned, however, the car rumbled for a second before it roared to life and Joker threw his arms in the air. "IT'S ALIIIIVE!!!" he shouted in a very Dr. Frankenstein-style voice before he turned to Jayde, grinning widely with his success. "I fixed it." He put simply and Jayde's smile widened.

"Dotcom, start puttin' her face on, will ya?" he asked before he turned Jayde toward the door, sliding his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go for a smoke, shall we?" he grinned at Dotcom over his shoulder before following Jayde inside the house to lead her over to the back patio.

As Joker sat down with Dotcom's pack of cigarettes, Jayde moved to walk and sit in another chair across from him, but he reached out, hooking his finger into her back belt loop, pulling her back until she plopped down on his lap. "There ya go." He murmured, looking down at where her bum was rested on his legs. Jayde wanted to roll her eyes but instead merely grinned, looking out over the pool.

Several minutes of silence passed between them, Joker smoking his cigarette while Jayde tried to ignore the fact that he was bouncing his knee under her, when Joker suddenly sat up, his eyes fixed on something in the backyard. Jayde was reminded vividly of a dog who had just seen a rabbit. A moment later, she practically fell on her face when Joker jumped up out of the chair, ran back inside and came back out a second later, holding his rifle.

"Wanna see a magic trick?" he asked as he walked past her briskly, cocking the rifle. Jayde followed suit, holding open the screen door as he ran out in the yard, over to a tree where three squirrels were fighting, chasing each other up and down the trunk, chattering noisily. "I'm gonna make those squirrels…_disappear."_

Jayde slapped her hands over her ears as loud, rattling shots cracked the seemingly peaceful air, but he missed the first time, hitting the tree, causing wood to splinter, flying in every which direction. The second shot hit it's target, causing one of the squirrels to blow up in a burst of fur and guts. Joker cackled, aiming again, firing and hitting another of them a second later. The last squirrel had tried to run for his life, traveling down the trunk to the ground to scurry toward a farther tree.

"Where do you think _you're _going?!" Joker shouted, firing again, but missed the fourth shot, causing dirt and grass to fly up in what looked like a mini land mine explosion. The fifth shot was dead on and as Joker dumped out the empty casings, he looked to Jayde with a huge, stupid grin on his face, as though searching for approval from her. She smiled back, applauding.

"Those squirrels were running around on the roof this morning…woke me up out of an _excellent_ dream.." He grumbled, walking over as Jayde laughed.

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked, looking up at him as he stood next to her, staring at his rifle. A grin slowly spread across his face and he looked out over the lawn, stepping away.

"I can't tell you that."

That evening, Jayde decided to make dinner for everyone again, since Joker would not tell her where the movies were so she went into the kitchen to find something to make, leaving him where he sat on the couch, watching a History channel special titled 'John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown'. Jayde had absolutely no interest in watching this with him, so she spent several minutes on end, trying to pull something together in the fridge for dinner. Dotcom was still outside 'putting her face on' with the car, whatever that meant, so Jayde was utterly alone, wandering about in the kitchen.

Finally, after a long search, she remembered the raw chicken and potatoes she had bought at the grocery store, so she pulled them all from the refrigerator to let them thaw on the counter. When she returned to the couch fifteen minutes later, her frown softened into an adoring gaze as she noticed Joker, sprawled out, fast asleep on his back. _Awww…_ she thought but grinned as she noticed that he even slept with that slight scowl on his face. Remembering what he said about the squirrels waking him up earlier, she left him alone and went back to the kitchen to start dinner.

Something around a half hour passed and the potatoes were boiling away in a pot of water, the chicken now in the oven. Dotcom had come in and was upstairs showering; Grizz had also come down and was reading a magazine at the table. The house was _far _ more quiet than it normally was and Jayde grinned when she figured it was because Joker was still asleep; he was the houses' number one noise-maker.

Back at the couch, Jayde knelt in front of it, pausing to take in everything about Joker at that moment. He was still on his back with his face turned toward the couch cushions, one arm hanging uselessly off the side with his fingers touching the carpet while the other rested over his rising and falling stomach. She reached out a moment later, lightly letting her hand take the one of his that was on the floor and she patted it gently. He stirred, taking a deep breath in as his eyes slid open and he blinked, lifting his arm. Jayde let go of his hand, grinning as he looked to her with a sigh.

"Hey there, pretty girl." He grumbled in a deep, sleepy voice, closing his eyes again. "Although I _do_ like looking at your face, I'm hoping you have a better reason for waking me up." Jayde's grin expanded; his sarcasm was always on, even half-asleep.

"I'm making dinner. It's just about ready. I figured you would want to be awake." She replied, watching him as his eyes slid open again and he turned onto his side, fitting his arm under his head for a pillow.

"That's a good reason." He closed his eyes once again. "Five more minutes…" he murmured, sighing again so Jayde left him there to go back to the kitchen.

She had just pulled the chicken out of the oven five minutes later when she jumped at the feel of two arms sliding around her waist from behind and a chin rested on her shoulder. It was definitely not Grizz and it was most certainly not Dotcom, so Jayde grinned wildly to herself, looking down sheepishly at the stove.

"You…uh…didn't have to do this, ya know…" he murmured quietly with that deep voice in her ear and Jayde fought back a shiver with much difficulty.

"I know. But I wanted to." She replied, peering at him from the corner of her eye as he continued to rest his chin on her shoulder. "Plus, it's not like anybody else would've…" he nodded, but stood to his full height, burying his nose into the tightened hair under her ponytail, to take a quick, deep breath before he walked away.

Dinner was uneventful. Since Dotcom was still upstairs showering, they did not eat as a 'family' and instead, had eaten at different times, however Jayde and Joker did sit across from each other at the table while they ate. Joker kept flicking little balls of paper at her from a napkin and although she kept telling him to stop it with a serious look on her face, he kept on, snickering, and Jayde couldn't have found it cuter.

That night, Jayde was just crawling into bed after a long, hot shower, musing over the day when the door to the bedroom opened and Joker stuck his head around it, looking incredibly up to no good. He grinned, motioning for her to go to him which she did, although hesitantly. When she was within reaching distance, he pulled her outside into the dark hallway. It seemed the rest of the house had gone to bed already as the inside of the mansion was completely free of lights but Joker was still wide awake and practically trembling with poorly suppressed laughter as he muffled his giggles with his hands, leaning against the wall for support.

Jayde was just about to ask what the hell was up when he pulled her by the wrist down the hallway to stand in front of a door leading to a room she had never been in. She turned to Joker, raising her eyebrows. "What?"

"I put George in Dotcom's bed." he whispered in her ear, his voice trembling with his laughter. Less than a second later, an extremely loud, horrified, _very _ feminine scream came from the other side of the door and several things crashed on the inside of the room. Jayde and Joker burst out laughing, loud obnoxious laughter that carried through the house, echoing in the spaces. Joker practically fell to his knees, finally able to let out his giggles and Jayde heard that laugh again from him, just as the door opened and a very flustered Dotcom ran out, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

"Get it!!" he screamed, practically jumping in place as Joker clutched Jayde's shoulder, holding himself up as he continued to laugh. "Go get your stupid spider!" he shouted, now backed against the far wall of the hallway, watching them. Joker was now wiping laughter tears from the corners of his eyes as he went inside the bedroom, scooping George into his hands gently to walk back out. Jayde finished laughing and looked to Dotcom with an apologetic grin.

"I'm sorry, but it was really funny." She explained and Dotcom rolled his eyes but squealed, jumping several feet down the hall as Joker came at him with George, still giggling.

"UGH!" he groaned, slamming the door in their faces and Joker turned to Jayde, smiling.

"Wow, that was worth it." He said, glancing down at the tarantula in his hands. "I figured you'd wanna be here for that." Jayde nodded, walking beside him as they went back down to her room and stopped outside the door. Joker lifted his hand, letting George crawl onto his shoulder as he looked down at Jayde, taking a deep breath.

It was obvious things were about to get awkward and Joker couldn't believe that honestly, he felt it too this time. He really wanted to kiss her again, but wasn't sure if that was what she wanted, not that he ever checked with her on that before. However, it was crucial, after getting this far that he not blow it with Jayde; she was finally getting to _sort of_ trust him.

She was leaning against the frame of her bedroom, looking gorgeous as the light from her room illuminated half her face, leaving the other half in shadow and she turned her head to look up at him, smiling. "I can't believe the way he screamed." She said, rolling her eyes and Joker laughed as well, glancing back up the hallway toward Dotcom's bedroom.

"Yeah, he's _really_ gay." He said, grinning smugly but looked back to Jayde when he felt her expressions change.

"Wait…you know?" she asked, thoroughly shocked when he nodded, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "I'm not stupid _or _ blind. He's queer as a three dollar bill." Jayde laughed, shaking her head as he grinned. "I've always known. That's why I say those things about gay people in front of him when we're out…makes him uncomfortable." She nodded an understanding, but jumped when his lips collided with her cheek, leaving a noisy kiss before he left her standing there in the doorway.

"G'night." He called over his shoulder, grinning widely to himself as he imagined the stunned on Jayde's face behind him, unaware that she was actually smiling goofily to herself, blushing as she returned inside, closing the door behind her.

The next morning when Jayde walked out onto the balcony, she had half expected to see Joker's green-haired head somewhere below her but frowned when she did not see him and instead, found the house empty. Once downstairs, she listened at the garage door; it was silent. Now confused, she walked around, glancing in each of the rooms, wondering where everyone had gone. When her searches came back negative, she sighed, looking at the massive house around her; she really was alone.

Sitting on the couch watching TV only held her attention for so long, especially when nothing on any of the channels caught her fancy. She sighed, glancing up the stairs toward Joker's office as her curiosity began to creep up inside her again. Jayde was almost positive that somewhere in that room, he was hoarding the movies, so she stood up, marching up the stairs, although when she reached the door, she paused, her fingers inches from the knob. That same gut instinct told her to stay out and that this was probably a bad idea, but she ignored it like she always did and opened the door, revealing Joker's study/office/lab.

The long, extended room was just as she remembered it, covered in the 'ha-ha's' from ceiling to floor. It was much quieter in here than it had been the last time she was there and George was crawling along his rock silently. Jayde glanced over at the spider, feeling as though he was watching her but she rolled her eyes, walking over to Joker's desk, against the very far wall. It was littered with written on papers, pictures and sticky notes, knives and empty vials and a flat screen computer monitor sat blank and dark against the wall. She wanted to turn it on for a second, but realized that spending as little time as possible in this room was key, in case he came home.

Opening the drawer, she peered inside to find it was full of envelopes and folders, some written on, some blank. When she moved some of them aside, a particularly thick one hit her hand and her eyes immediately flew to her name, written on the front, at the bottom of a long list of others, including names like 'Alexandra, Amanda, Bethany, Brittany' followed by dates. The list went on, in alphabetical order. She counted the names and found that she had fallen in at number thirteen. Jayde frowned, opening the envelope, but softened her features when several black and white photographs of herself fell out onto the desk. They were candid, taken when she had no idea she was being watched; Jayde blushed when she noticed one of herself in that black bikini, sun-bathing on her balcony back at her apartment in Gotham.

The only thing that really surprised her about these pictures was that they were actually really gorgeous shots of her, taken in angles that Jayde had never seen herself from. She smiled, cocking her head to the side as she continued to flip through the stack, keeping her ears open the whole time for noises downstairs. It was quiet however, so Jayde kept thumbing through them, until she had reached a really stunning picture of who she assumed was 'Jasmine', the name that was written just above hers. The girl was beautiful, with light-colored hair that Jayde guessed was blonde from the black and white picture. The girl had been caught mid-laugh, sitting across from her friend at a café in Gotham that Jayde recognized as being just up the street from Starbucks. The next picture was taken of Jasmine looking left, checking for traffic before she stepped out into the street to cross.

Several more pictures of her passed through Jayde's hands and she was beginning to feel something like jealousy begin to work itself up in her. She fought the feeling, reminding herself that these had been taken by the Joker…although, it did bother her that she wasn't the only one he had been watching so closely.

As she continued to look through them, now enraptured by this, she had just flipped over a picture of Hadley when Jayde gasped, closing her eyes as her heart practically stopped beating and her stomach fell to somewhere around her knees. There, in her hands, was a picture of Hadley in full color, the gorgeous young girl from the past four pictures, laying on Joker's metal table, the one just across the room from Jayde now, her face cut into a horrific smile as her eyes gazed, dead, up at the camera. Her throat had been cut practically from ear to ear, her bright red blood coating the metal beneath her like a blanket.

She did not know why, but Jayde continued to flip the pictures, her mouth falling open more and more and she was not the slightest bit surprised when she felt hot tears stinging her eyes. Is this all she was? Was she supposed to be next?

Her trembling fingers had just reached a picture of Erin, hung by her neck from a ceiling fan in a large, beautiful room, in front of a white canopy bed, that looked strangely familiar…Jayde cried out, those tears streaming down her face and she stood up from the desk, pushing Joker's chair out from under her as she recognized that room as the one she had been sleeping in for the past five days.

"Jayde.." came a deep voice from behind her that sent chills through her to the very deepest part of her body. She screamed, turning to see the Joker, standing a few feet from her, looking angry and yet slightly confused. The stack of pictures that had been in her hand went flying everywhere but as Joker stepped forward, Jayde sobbed loudly, holding up her hand.

"NO!" she screamed, backing away from him, cowering in her newborn fear. "Please, don't touch me."

"What are you _doing_in here?" he growled, nothing in his voice indicating that he was the slightest bit joking and from the look on his face, he was the angriest she had seen him up to this point. He took another step forward, only for Jayde to take another step back, glancing behind her frantically.

"I found th-those pictures…" she sobbed, her eyes falling to the scattered photographs on the floor. "…of those girls you…_slaughtered…_ Is that what I am?!" she screamed, pointing at a picture of Alexandra. "Is that what you're going to do to me? That's what that was the other night, just warming me up?!" she screamed her question, speaking about their moonlit kiss.

Joker shook his head, taking another step forward. "No…Jayde..." he said rather gently but when Jayde sobbed again, cowering against the corner as he advanced, his attitude changed and he closed the distance quickly, ignoring her screams to lean down and grab a fistful of her hair. "If you'd let me _speak, _I would give you a great explanation, but ya know what? I don't think you deserve it." He was saying loudly, practically shouting so she could hear him over her frantic crying.

By now, he was dragging her down the hall toward the room where most of those girls had had their pictures taken and Jayde was doing everything in her power to fight him, kicking, clawing at his wrist as he pulled her by the hair. He had started laughing again, that evil, chilling, blood-curdling laugh that echoed through the entire house.

When he reached the door to the bedroom, he lifted her to her feet only to push her inside until she fell backwards onto the bed and Joker's knees landed on either side of her hips. She screamed louder than ever, sobbing hysterically, her tears sliding down her temples into her hair as she lay on her back, struggling against Joker's strong grip on either one of her wrists as he pinned them to the fluffy blankets on either side of her head.

A second later, his fist collided with her jaw, hard, and Jayde's screaming instantly subsided as the room began to spin all around her. His raspy, clowny voice came to her like a bad dream as everything faded to black.

"Curiosity killed the cat, _love…" _


	14. You Found Me

Jayde woke in a blur, the room swimming around her as she rolled over onto her side in the middle of the bed. Pink and orange light was peering through the window, coating the room in a golden glow as the sun has just begun to rise on the next day. She could remember coming around earlier after Joker had knocked her out but having exhausted herself fighting and struggling against him, she had passed out again and seemingly slept through the night. A soft sob escaped her against her will as she reached up, feeling her tender face. She was almost certain Joker had not meant to knock her out with that first blow and had continued to beat her after she had been out. Her entire body felt broken.

In the bathroom, she gazed at her reflection, her knees buckling a few times as she clutched the edge of the sink. Bruises had begun to form along her neck in the shape of Joker's fingers and she wondered how he managed to make those without actually killing her. She took a moment, mentally, to be thankful that she had gone unconscious for most of Joker's fury.

The faces of the young women in those pictures began to swim in front of her eyes as she closed them, reeling as panic flooded her body. Joker was out there in the house somewhere, probably plotting her painful death and Jayde took several deep breaths to try and gain some sort of composure. If she were honest with herself, she was surprised to have even woken up that morning.

She had to get out of there. Joker was going to kill her and she knew it but as she ran to the door to try it, she whimpered, tugging several times although it remained very locked, from the outside. Her stomach churned again, remembering how she had noticed the outer lock the very first night she had even gotten there. Why she didn't try to escape sooner, she had no idea. Then again, it was probably because for the last five days, besides the occasional slap or hit here and there, Jayde was actually, _sort of_ having fun. Her life in Gotham had been so extraordinarily boring, with no friends, no social life, no parents and Joker had taken her from that and seemingly provided her with a family, however strange it was. Dotcom had become her friend over that past week and she began to cry again, sinking to the carpet at the door. Dotcom must have known about those other girls. She wondered if he tried to make friends with all of them as well.

Jayde looked up, through her tears, toward the window and an idea struck her with such force, she jumped up, sniffling as she went to it. Looking out and down, she noticed that the jump really was not that far and she would be landing in bushes; she figured it wouldn't do much damage in comparison to what Joker was going to do to her.

As she fit her fingers under the frame of the window to lift it, however, she gasped in pain, yanking her fingers back as razor wire, fitted under the frame sliced into the tips, immediately spilling blood onto the white carpet as Jayde clutched them. More tears came at finding that truly, she really was stuck in that room until someone…The Joker unlocked that door.

After yanking a pillow from the bed, Jayde fit it under the frame, trying to wrench it up and to her surprise, it came loose, sliding up slowly. However as it reached the half-way mark, a huge volt of electricity shot through the metal frame of the window, through the pillow and through her body, throwing her to the ground where everything went black again.

The earth shook with the force of the explosion as Gotham Central Mall came tumbling to the ground, a massive mushroom cloud of dust and debris billowing up above it. The sight of this destruction normally would have produced some sort of a laugh or even a giggle from The Joker as he watched from an abandoned apartment building nearly a half-mile away, but as he stood there facing the window, his arms were folded over his chest and he was _not_ laughing. That entire morning, he had stormed about, yelling at Dotcom and Grizz for things outside of their control, throwing things around, breaking things. None of this helped ease the tension in his body, when normally it was exactly what he needed. His mind flew back to Jayde, at home, locked in the bedroom and he growled loudly in frustration, slamming his hand against the window. She had ruined _everything_.

The carpet in Jayde's room, however soft, did not provide much cushion to her head as she woke there, laying on her side another hour later, feeling fifty times worse than she had earlier that morning. Her body felt as though she had been thrown against a wall repeatedly, but when she noticed the sun outside was about half-way between afternoon and evening, she jumped up, frantically running to the door as she knew her time was about to come. She was not sure why Joker had not come upstairs yet to kill her off but as she clawed at the door, hysterical at this point, she felt her nails scraping the paint off, leaving streaks of blood on the wood of the door from her already cut fingers.

This lasted for several minutes until her bleeding fingers screamed at her to stop and Jayde fell to the floor again, resting her back against the base of the bed as she fought to catch her breath. There had to be some way out of this room. A second wind approached her a minute later, lifting her from the ground almost as if she was not controlling herself anymore and she ran at the door, hitting it as hard as she could with her shoulder. It gave way the tiniest of bits, but bounced right back when she backed away to try again. The same result came of the second attempt and after nearly five more of these, with no movement from the door, Jayde sat against it, closing her eyes, willing herself not to start crying again. Tears only made things worse and made her more tired. She figured that if she wanted to make it out of this alive, she needed to have enough energy to fight Joker tooth and nail when he came upstairs. She was already positive he could hear her escape attempts from downstairs or even outside the door and she could practically hear his evil laughter in the back of her head. This subconscious sound forced those tears to come and she cried herself to sleep, sitting up against the door.

Jayde's head popped up from rested on her knees another several hours later, as noises of banging on the door behind her rang through the wood, waking her from a dead sleep. She was suddenly wide awake, her eyes widened as she could hear quiet, snickering voices on the other side and she jumped up, away from it, sliding across the room just as the door was pried open, revealing three, tall men that she did not recognize, grinning maliciously at her.

"There she is!" the tallest of them said, stepping into the room as he glanced around. "Joker's pretty little _girlfriend…_" Jayde's back had met the far wall with a thud, but as the other two men came at her, she screamed, swinging to hit them only to be picked up, literally, from where she stood and thrown onto the bed. As the tallest one jumped on top of her, pinning her down, Jayde's voice cried out the last name she expected to be screaming to for help;

"JOKER!!!!"

Her loud voice cracked as it reached it's limit, but she whimpered as the man atop her punched her in the face, silencing her screams momentarily. "SHUT UP!" he shouted. "That little prank you and your _disgusting _boyfriend pulled the other night was not all that funny." Jayde felt confusion for a split second but remembered the spiked champagne at Maroni's party. She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as he hit her again, on the other side of her face. "So our boss sent us over here to show Joker just how un-funny his jokes are, but seeing as to how you're the only one here…" he reached into a pocket of his black jacket, pulling a knife from it and he laughed when he saw Jayde's eyes widen in fear.

"I think we should make it so you and your boyfriend can be a matching couple." He said, flicking open the knife, revealing a long, razor sharp blade. His hand wrapped around her throat, his fingers tightening instantly, cutting off Jayde's screams as they began to fill the air again, but she was not going to stop. Her lungs felt as though they were ready to burst and as she turned her head to keep from letting the knife anywhere near her mouth, her eyes fell onto the two other men in the room that she had almost completely forgotten about. They were standing at the foot of the bed, aiming at her, but as the man on top of her nodded to them, they walked over to Jayde, setting their guns down for a second. One of them grabbed her wrists while the other held her face steady, forcing a finger against her cheek to pry her mouth open.

Jayde instantly began screaming again, this time louder than she ever had before, tears escaping her eyes, down her cheeks as she began to realize that Joker was nowhere to be found as the knife began to slice apart the corner of her mouth, slowly, agonizingly. The more she screamed, the more the skin tore apart where they were cutting with the knife but Jayde was forcing her lips back together, screaming through her pursed lips as pain such that she had never felt before coursed through her face, down her neck. No wonder Joker was the way he was; this was unbearable.

Downstairs, Joker had just barely gotten the garage door open when the sound of Jayde's loud, bone-chilling, urgent screams reached his ears and without thinking, he dropped everything, running to the stairs, taking them three at a time, although quietly. Down the hall, Jayde's door looked as though it had been torn from the hinges, wood splintered and lying on the floor from the lock being pried off. He could hear men in the room, laughing as Jayde screamed and as Joker appeared in the way, he fired two shots, hitting both men standing over Jayde in the back of their heads, killing them instantly. Their bodies fell backward on the floor, bleeding all over the white, previously blood-stained carpet. This sudden disturbance tore the man who was sitting on Jayde from whatever it was he was doing but Joker was already to him, grabbing him by the neck, throwing him across the room, into the wall where he pinned him, taking only a second to glance over his shoulder at Jayde, who had fallen onto the floor, clutching her face as blood poured from between her fingers.

There was a knife in this man's hand, but as he made to stab at Joker, Joker caught his wrist tightly in his purpled gloved hand, wrenching the knife from his grip before plunging it deep into the mobster's neck, as deep as it could reach.

The initial stab wound would have been enough to kill him as Joker had severed his carotid artery, shutting off all blood flow to the brain, but as the man fell to the floor, reaching up to try and stem the flow of blood that was now spurting from his neck, Joker was atop him a second later, plunging that knife in again…and again…and again…Furiously yet silently, he stabbed and stabbed until there was practically nothing left connecting the man's head to his body except his spinal cord.

Joker was positively covered in the man's blood but ignored the stains that were seeping into his precious purple coat as Jayde cried hysterically on the floor a few feet from him. He crawled to her, taking her wrist in his hand to pull it away from her cheek, which continued to pour blood but she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut as she refused to take her hand away. Joker simply tugged harder, murmuring "Jayde…let me see it." When she finally let go, her blood spilled down her face more freely from the left side of her face onto his already blood soaked purple gloves and an instant later, Joker was scooping her up from the floor, into his arms to carry her down the hall to his office.

Her thighs met the cold metal table as he set her down to sit on it's edge but Jayde struggled, crying out in a muffled voice as she struggled to keep her lips together, afraid screaming might tear the cut more. Joker grabbed her knees, forcing her to sit still as he growled. "Jayde!" he shouted, grabbing her face in his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you! I never even planned on killing you in the first place, so _please, _Jayde, let me fix this." He said, his eyes raking along the absolutely massive cut on her face, from the corner of her lips, practically identical to the right scar of his own.

Jayde finally seemed to decide that he was telling the truth, at least for the moment and stopped struggling to hang her head, sobbing while he shed his blood stained coat, rolling up the sleeves of his blue shirt as he moved across the room to the lab table. He returned a few moments later, carrying a box full of syringes and vials, filled with clear liquid. He lifted one from the box, holding it up to poke the syringe in and fill it with enough of the liquid before he turned to Jayde, taking her hand away from her face, tugging harder when she resisted.

"I know how much pain you're in, Jayde," He said gently. "And trust me, I _really _do, but this is going to help. Just close your eyes and it will only sting for a second." Jayde obeyed him, shutting her eyes, knowing that whatever he was about to do, she would probably barely even feel it beneath the massive amount of excruciating pain she was in already. As the needle pierced her cheek, along one of the torn halves, she squealed in pain, her hands reaching out desperately to Joker, where she clutched his vest tightly in her fists, trying not to sob too hard with the needle still against her cheek.

After a few seconds, the pain subsided slightly in one area but the needle was piercing her bottom lip, just next to where the cut began and Jayde whimpered again, squeezing her eyes shut. Joker's hand glided down the back of her head gently as he waited for the numbing agent to kick in, watching the tears slide down her cheeks. He sighed, turning away to pull on a pair of latex gloves, but stopped as Jayde's weak voice spoke from behind him.

"Where were you?" she asked hoarsely, most of her voice wasted on screaming so loud, and she sobbed again, looking down at her lap as her tears splashed onto her knees. Joker closed his eyes as a sensation ripped through him that he was totally unfamiliar with. Was he almost feeling ashamed at himself, maybe even a little at-fault for the cut in her face? She was right; he hadn't been there the time she needed him the most.

"I wasn't here." He answered softly. "But I am now, and I'm not goin' anywhere. You're safe now." He turned to face her again after he had pulled on the latex gloves to find that Jayde's crying had almost subsided for which he was immensely thankful. Hearing her cry like that hurt him in a way that he could not explain. "Is your cheek numb?" She nodded, looking up at him as he walked over, lifting her chin. "Close your eyes and pretend you're somewhere else."

Jayde obeyed instantly, trying to focus her mind elsewhere but a few seconds later, she vaguely felt something pierce her numb cheek, along the torn edge of the two or three inch slice from the corner of her mouth. She whimpered, again reaching out for him as he threaded the curved needle through the top half of the scar, repeating this action slowly until Jayde could no longer feel what he was doing. The numbing agent had done it's work perfectly but still she trembled slightly until Joker had finished the row of stitches. As he pushed the needle back through to the inside of her mouth, Jayde felt the cold metal against her tongue followed by the feel of the suture.

"Open your mouth." he instructed in a grunt and Jayde did this as far as she could, jumping slightly as his gloved fingers reached inside, pulling the string out to let it hang while he reached for a pair of small, medical scissors. With the string now cut, he somehow tied a small knot in the loose end, inside her mouth after he had positioned the light correctly to see. Jayde opened her eyes as she heard him walk away but he returned a second later, holding a squirt bottle full of some other sort of clear liquid and a stack of soft gauze. After wetting a piece of it with the liquid, he let one hand rest at the side of her neck while the other gently wiped the drying blood from around her wound, down her chin and under it, along her neck. The rest of it had soaked into the neck of her shirt but he respected her privacy and resorted to moving it only slightly to wipe it from along her collar bones.

Jayde was watching his face this whole time through her tears, staring at his narrowed eyes as he concentrated on what he was doing. When he noticed this, he met her eyes, gazing back, but looked away a moment later, dropping the bloody gauze onto the table to take her hands. "Can you stand?" he asked, stepping back from her and Jayde slid from the table until her feet met the floor where she swayed for a second, staring at the ground, before she nodded.

The house was eerily quiet as they stepped out into the hallway, Joker behind Jayde with one hand still gripping hers and he began to lead her the opposite way from the direction of her bedroom toward the very end of the hall. They passed the door to Dotcom's bedroom to the one next to it where Joker opened it, guiding Jayde inside the dark room where he flipped on a lamp, illuminating what she assumed was his bedroom. She had never been in here before but looked around only momentarily at the painted black walls, noticing a window with a thick black blanket draped over it. A huge canopy bed, very similar to the one in her room stood against the far wall and although Jayde noticed the comforter and pillows were purple, she ignored it, sitting on the end of it as Joker led her over.

"I want you to sleep in here tonight." He said quietly, moving around her to hastily pick up his room as though the messiness was bothering her. Jayde watched him throwing random clothing in his closet, silently, from the bed and once he had finished, he loosened his tie, pulling it from around his neck. She looked away when his hands reached to unbutton his vest but once he had done this, he left it open, walking over to Jayde. "I'll be downstairs on the couch if you need anything. If you start bleeding again, come find me." He moved to leave, but something in Jayde, the still terrified and trembling parts of her reached out, grabbing his arm, pulling him back. She wasn't sure why she did this or why she wanted it, but she really did not want to be alone.

She did not say anything nor did she look up at him, but Joker found she didn't need to; he understood what she needed. He nodded and turned off the light, leaving her to sit there while he disappeared into the bathroom and when Jayde heard the water start running in the shower, she turned over to crawl to the head of the bed where she sank into the surprisingly soft pillows. Seconds later, she was crunching her face up, squeezing her eyes closed as she felt hot tears begin to gather at the edges but she fought them, swallowing hard. The last twenty four hours had passed in a horrifying blur and now as she lay there in The Joker's bed, she wanted nothing more than to just lay there and cry. The sound of those men breaking into her room had brought back the most deepest and darkest of memories in Jayde's mind and she forced them away, whimpering when they refused to leave her conscious.

She was not sure how long it had been but as the bed moved beside her, Jayde felt Joker slide between the sheets across from her and she instantly reached out her hands to him, expecting there to be another handful of material for her to hold onto. However, when her hands met bare, warm skin, her eyes popped open although it was nearly pitch black in his bedroom, thanks to the heavy, black drape over the window. The scent of clean soap reached her nose and Joker's hands wrapped around her wrists before he tugged gently, pulling her across the bed and into his arms, against his bare chest.

Those tears that had been falling down her face during his shower fell harder at the feel of his arms around her and Jayde buried her face into the crook of his neck, sobbing quietly. He remained quiet, listening to her cry as his hands rubbed her back, gently, methodically, up and down, up the back of her neck, into her hair and back down to the line of her shorts. Several silent minutes of this worked to soothe Jayde until she quieted her tears, merely sniffling against his collarbones, surprised at how comfortable his bed was. When she moved back to look up at him in the dark, her eyes had adjusted and she could now see his handsome features, free of makeup, vaguely through the darkness.

Joker smiled sympathetically back at her as she blinked up at him and as he lay on his side, he reached out, letting his finger lightly touch the new, tender stitches on her face. He knew they would heal into a scar similar to that of his own and he hated that for her, but now that she had it, it would be there forever. Jayde seemed to know this already.

"They came in…" she began, quietly, reaching up to feel her mouth as if testing how much she could move it while she spoke. "They said they were looking for you…but I was the only…one here." Her voice began to tremble with tears again as her mind flew back to only an hour or so prior. Joker's hand slid behind her head, smoothing her hair down but Jayde continued. "They said that…we should be a matching couple.." Joker could not help but grin at this, hoping Jayde wouldn't see. It was extremely fortunate he had arrived when he did as they had only carved half of her face. Looking _half _like The Joker was a lot better than looking everything like him. She whimpered again, shutting her eyes as the feeling began to return to her face and the cut prickled uncomfortably.

Joker leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Jayde, I'm really sorry." He murmured but felt himself thoroughly surprised when Jayde reached her hand out, resting it on his arm, gripping him gently.

"You saved me." She cooed, looking up at his eyes in the dark but closed her own when he let two of his fingers touch the un-hurt side of her mouth before he replaced them a second later with his lips, leaving a soft kiss here. He pulled back only slightly to hear her sigh against his cheek, sending goosebumps all over his skin, before he left another kiss on her lips as gently as he could, remembering the stitches. Jayde tried to kiss him back the best she was able but he seemed to understand that it was difficult for her as he left another kiss just under her lips on her chin before another along her jaw line.

Jayde's stomach was fluttering madly with butterflies against her will and her hands tightened their grip on his arms, begging him to keep going but also not wanting to appear too desperate for his affection. He seemed to understand exactly what she wanted without her having to tell him and Jayde tilted her head back slightly, closing her eyes with a satisfied sigh as his lips left her face to travel down the curve of her neck, pursing here and there to leave soft kisses. The more kisses he trailed along her neck, the more passionate and drawn out they grew until he chose a particularly sensitive area just below her ear and parted his lips, letting his tongue lightly trace along her skin, pleased with the way she moaned quietly, tilting her head back further.

This invitation encouraged him, causing parts of his body to tingle that probably shouldn't have, given the situation. He ignored the male instincts of himself but continued to lavish attention on her neck, listening to every small sigh and whimper she made for clues as to what she liked or what he was doing wrong. Jayde was slowly rolling onto her back, sliding her hand from his arm to his shoulder as Joker moved closer, still laying next to her, moving his lips from the front of her neck to her collarbones. His tongue flickered across the skin here and he couldn't help but grin against her skin when Jayde gasped quietly, arching her back against him slightly. Joker's arm slid under the small of her back, holding her just a bit closer as he continued to kiss her collarbones, leaving small red, bite marks here and there as he nipped occasionally at her skin.

Jayde was trembling inside but was not necessarily scared anymore as she worked to try and understand these new, strange sensations Joker was creating, feelings she had never experienced before. They were thrilling but foreign to her and as a tingling sensation began to spread throughout her lower body, she began to grow nervous, unsure of what it meant. She pushed gently on his shoulder, trying to get him to stop without offending him or embarrassing him. Joker must have felt the way her fingers were trembling as he pulled away, opening his eyes to gaze down at her in the dark, searching her facial expressions.

Jayde looked back up at him, those blue eyes wide with something Joker recognized as uneasiness and he withheld a sigh of slight disappointment. He could have almost sworn she was enjoying his kisses. Resting his head in his hand, he leaned on his elbow just next to her, smiling at her when he realized how gently she had told him she wasn't ready as if she thought it would have made him angry. As he reached out to touch her collarbone lightly with his fingers, he decided that deep down, he really was alright with that; he could wait…but _only _for Jayde. He was positive if it were any other girl, the case would not be the same. But then again, nobody but Jayde had ever been in this bed besides himself.

Jayde had closed her eyes while Joker lay next to her, tracing his fingers along her neck and clavicles, lulling her to sleep but just as she was about to slip under, she turned away from him, tugging his arm with her so he lay just behind her. Her hands remained wrapped around his as he curled his arm around her waist, holding her against his chest as he sighed sleepily. Jayde's soft lips touched his fore finger a moment later and Joker responded by leaving one last kiss on the back of her shoulder.

When Jayde's eyes opened again, it took a couple seconds to remember where she was or why it was so dark. She remembered soon after that she was in Joker's bed, in his room, and that the aching sting in her cheek was from her latest deformity. Her hand reached up slowly, touching the stitches "Dr. Joker" had given her but she jerked her fingers away with a wince as it smarted sharply. Rolling onto her back, she looked to the spot next to her where Joker had been the night before, only to find he was gone, the bed now empty and a bit lonely. She sighed, closing her eyes, slightly disappointed; secretly to herself last night, she had hoped to wake up beside him in the morning.

Rising from the bed, Jayde stumbled but caught herself on the post of the canopy, gaining her balance before she walked toward the window to peer out past the heavy drape, only to blink furiously when bright sunlight met her eyes; it was morning after all. She couldn't help but roll her eyes while she walked slowly to the door. Joker did seem like the type to want his room dark at all times but it was nothing but unhelpful to Jayde who did not know her way around. She walked into several things blindly before she found the door.

Out on the balcony, she paused, gazing down the hallway toward the open door of the bedroom she had been in the day before and she shuddered, tearing her eyes away, not even wanting to think of what she would see in there. Below her, she could see Dotcom and Grizz sitting on the couch, watching something on TV while The Joker sat at the kitchen table, faced away from her, looking down at something in front of him. His green head was bowed, but as she came down the stairs, he looked up only to smile genuinely and stand up from the table when he saw her. Jayde ignored the weird fluttery feeling he produced for the time being.

"Hello ther-" he began but Jayde had walked straight up to him, placed her hands behind his neck and rose onto her tip toes, planting a gentle but firm kiss on his lips, instantly quieting his greeting. When she pulled away, she tried to smile at him although this caused her stitches to tug and she winced instead, turning away, blushing, as a huge goofy grin slid all over Joker's face. He took her arm to turn her back to face him and Jayde looked down at her feet, awkwardly. She stood perfectly still while Joker brought his fingers up to her cheek, touching the stitches lightly, inspecting his work as he continued to grin. "How does it feel?" he asked quietly.

Jayde shrugged, looking up at him finally. "It hurts, but I think I'll live." She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "I don't know how you…" her eyes met his before she looked away quickly, feeling as though she was about to speak on a touchy subject, but Joker only smiled wider.

"-made it with two?" he finished her sentence for her, raising his eyebrows. "…Good genes, I guess." He joked and Jayde went to laugh but whimpered, placing her hand over her mouth as she forced herself not to grin. Joker stepped forward, hardly able to contain the smile on his face, and he could have sworn he felt his own scars practically touching his ears as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, thinking to himself that that was probably the cutest thing Jayde had done all week.

**Author's Note: **LOL I know a lot of you out there are on the edge of your seats for Joker and Jayde to uh…'_seal the deal'_…And I _know_ that I'm an excellent tease, but hang in there with me! It's coming sooner or later and I'm the only one who knows which it is. :D But I promise, your waiting will not go unrewarded…Thanks to everyone for reading and the awesome reviews! Chapter 15 should up within the next couple days…


	15. A Day In The Life

**Author's note: **WOO! Chapter 15!! Enjoy! Leave a review!!

Jayde left Joker at the table to finish reading the book he had buried his nose into, honestly a little surprised to find that he had been reading 'The Tale of Two Cities'. But as she walked around in the kitchen, wondering what wouldn't hurt her cheek to eat or drink, Joker walked up behind her, resting his hands on her hips gently from behind to press his cheek against the side of her head.

"I hate to tell you this, doll, but I doubt you're going to want to eat anything. Trust me, it's gonna _really_ hurt when you bite down on your cheek." He explained, laughing when Jayde shivered violently, shaking her head. "So I would stick to water for now."

Although her stomach was growling angrily at her since she had not eaten in almost thirty-six hours, having been locked upstairs all the previous day, Jayde sighed, leaning her head back against Joker's chest. Dotcom came around the corner to find them holding each other and he looked away awkwardly until Jayde noticed him and stepped forward, out of Joker's arms. He grinned, holding up his pack of cigarettes, looking to Joker.

"Can she have one of these, doc?" he asked and both Jayde and Dotcom stared at Joker as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling, pondering, before glancing at both of them. He shrugged a moment later.

"Yeah, that's fine. But you _better_ not pop your stitches, Jayde, or I'm going to have to make the other side match!" he threatened, looking up to make eye contact with Jayde to make sure she knew he was joking. She smirked with a crooked grin, keeping her stitches from pulling as she followed Dotcom out onto the porch.

They sat but as soon as Jayde lit the cigarette, a question burst out of her mouth before she even had the chance to think about it. "Why didn't you tell me about those other girls?"

Dotcom looked up at her slowly and he sighed, taking off his glasses. "Jayde, I knew it would only scare you. It was obvious that Joker had no intention on doing anything like that to you." He explained but when Jayde continued to stare at him for more, he went on. "Those girls he killed were dead within the first two hours of getting here. I never even spoke to them or learned their names." Jayde finally nodded, looking down at her lap but up again as he took a deep breath.

"Joker will never admit to this, but he really does love women. He studies them…I guess you could say they fascinate him. So…ya know how people go through phases?" he asked and Jayde nodded her understanding. "Well, Joker is no different. He started going through a serial killing phase about a year ago where he would target a different woman every few weeks, maybe one a month. He would take pictures of them, learn a lot about them but then go and capture them, bring them here and torture them." Dotcom shuddered, closing his eyes momentarily. "I can still hear their screams sometimes. Joker said he enjoyed watching them in pain." Jayde shivered, glancing through the sliding glass door at Joker, sitting at the table, reading placidly. Dotcom was still talking…

"But about three months ago, he stopped…" his eyes wrinkled in a grin as he looked over at Jayde. "…And then when he found you...He wouldn't stop talking about you and he didn't even know your name at first. He kept talking about how beautiful you are and how he couldn't wait to "meet you". 'Course Grizz and I both thought it was just another one of his obsessive ordeals but as it went on, it was different that time. And then when you guys started…ya know, being "friends", I knew you were safe." Jayde had started smiling through this last wind of explanations and now was blushing furiously as she noticed Joker making faces at her from inside, through the window. Dotcom looked over his shoulder before he rolled his eyes. "See? He really likes you and I don't think he could kill you, even if he wanted to. You're too special to him now."

Jayde was trying so hard not to laugh and tear her stitches as Joker ripped a blank back page out of his book and began writing something on it before he held it up in the window behind Dotcom. She squinted to read the large, messy writing but snorted with laughter loudly.

"_Don't get too close…Gay is contagious_." It read, followed by an arrow that pointed directly down at the top of Dotcom's head. When he noticed Jayde laughing at something above him, he turned but saw Joker just on the other side of the glass, quickly hiding something behind his back as he grinned guiltily.

When Jayde and Dotcom came back inside, Jayde's face hurt much worse than it did when she had come downstairs and as Joker watched her from the table, drinking a glass of water, she whimpered, pressing her hand to her cheek lightly as she swallowed. When he approached her, grinning sympathetically, she sighed, hanging her head.

"This isn't fun." She said simply, setting the glass down on the counter. "It really hurts now." Joker nodded silently, but pulled her toward the stairs, leading her up and into his office where he closed the door behind them.

"Sit." He grunted, pointing at the metal table where she had been the night before, where the box of medical supplies still sat next to her bloody gauze. Jayde looked away from it, not wanting to see the sort of the needle he had used to hook her stitches. Instead, she watched Joker move about the room, opening cabinets and drawers, rifling through them until he found what he had been searching for. When he returned, she noticed a syringe and another bottle of clear liquid in his hands.

"What is that?" she asked, watching as Joker pulled on a pair of latex gloves, snapping them against his wrists as he grinned mischievously.

"Let's…just…say…" he began, poking the syringe into the end of the bottle to draw some of the medication out. "…That I _really_ wish I had had this when I got these." He pointed at the scars on his face, smiling widely to make them stretch. Jayde shivered, looking down as he pulled a long rubber tube from the box next to her before he took her arm, setting down the needle momentarily. "You're gonna feel _reeeeal _nice in about two minutes."

At this, Jayde withdrew her arm a bit, whimpering uncertainly and Joker sighed, resting his hands on either side of her legs on the table. "I promise, it's nothing but a pain killer. You wont even _feel _your face…at all." He explained but when she continued to hold her arm against her chest like a frightened toddler getting their first shots, Joker rolled his eyes and began to unbutton his sleeve. "If I do it first, will you believe me?" he asked, rolling his sleeve up to his bicep. Jayde watched him do this, but nodded once he looked up at her.

He wrapped the surgical tubing around his arm just above the crook of his elbow, tightening it with his teeth, before he watched for his veins to pop up. When a particularly good, fat one came up, he picked up the needle before slowly pushing it in. Jayde watched his face but had to admit she wasn't surprised when he didn't even flinch. With his fore finger, he pulled the stopper out slightly, releasing some of his blood into the medication before he pushed it in, injecting it straight into his blood flow.

Now that the drug was in his system, he had to act fast to do Jayde's or else he would be far too loopy to even stand up straight. So he grabbed her arm and tied the tubing around it tightly, blinking a few times as he felt the warm fuzzies begin to flood his brain instantly. Jayde's veins were perfectly showing through her skin and after he had filled the syringe again, he plunged it in slowly, doing the same procedure to her that he had just performed on himself.

Jayde cringed as the needle pierced her skin, but a second later, a warm, tingling sensation began to spread through her body from the point where he had injected it. When she looked up at Joker, his eyes had grown droopy and he grinned lethargically at her, taking the needle away before he swayed dangerously, but clutched the table to stay standing up. He giggled through his nose at this as Jayde grabbed his shoulders to hold him steady.

"Wow, that fast, huh?" Jayde asked, laughing slightly at him as he nodded, swaying where he stood. No sooner had he nodded, did she feel it too except, her body was less tolerant to this sort of thing, so her eyes rolled slightly before her head fell forward onto Joker's shoulder. He caught her, but lost his balance himself as the room began to spin slowly and Joker laughed loudly as his knees buckled, sending him to the floor where Jayde fell on top of him a moment later. The box of medical supplies fell off the table after her and both burst into giggles as they lay there on the floor.

"You're right," Jayde mumbled with a silly, dopey grin on her face as she lay across Joker's lap, staring up at the spinning, seemingly pulsating ceiling as he sat up against the cabinets. "This feels niiiiice…"

"I _tooold_ you…" his deep, gravely voice said from above her. "Can't feel your cut either, huh…" Jayde giggled, reaching up to pull his tie out from tucked under his vest and she ran it across her face, gently.

"What cut?" Joker laughed, closing his eyes as his extremities began to tingle, pulling him into the second phase of the drug's high. It was obvious Jayde had never experienced this sort of thing when Joker had experimented with happy, silly-time drugs many times before in the past and knew what to expect. Jayde, however, was like a playful, dopey child as she tugged on his tie, staring at the design on it as though it were moving, and indeed, to her, it was.

"Joker…" she whispered a couple seconds later, followed by a silly giggle. He opened his eyes, looking down at her. "Joker…" she said again, poking the underside of his chin. She snorted with laughter, hiding the lower half of her face behind her hands. "I can feel my hair growing." She whispered. Joker laughed, sliding his fingers into it as she rested her head on his raised knee and she sighed in content, sliding her eyes shut when he began to play with it.

This only lasted a second before Joker suddenly jumped up but stumbled, bracing himself on the table as he giggled. "Let's go…uh…downstairs…Gotta…do something…" As Jayde stood shakily to follow him, her knees buckled and she fell back down, but laughed loudly as Joker snickered like a little boy. He reached down, giving her his hands to help her stand up although he could barely do that himself but once both were on their feet, they stumbled to the door and out into the hallway.

With Jayde leaning against him for support, Joker had to walk against the wall to hold himself up as the drug in their systems was infamous for giving the sensation of 'jelly-legs'. They were laughing breathlessly, quietly until they reached the stairs where they stopped, staring down them.

"Oh boy…" Joker murmured as he swayed, knowing that this could possibly end in one of them falling down the stairs, but he had a feeling which ever it was, it would be hilarious either way. Surprisingly, they made it down most of them, gripping the railing on either side of them until Joker felt he had enough balance to move ahead of Jayde to the bottom floor where he held his arms out to her. She giggled, stopping on the stair she was on as she swayed, staring down at him as he wiggled his fingers. When she went to take a step down, she lost her footing but luckily had been in close enough reach for Joker to catch her before she hit the floor painfully. He laughed, gathering her up so they could walk toward the couch, however, the drug was moving into phase three and Jayde only made it to the carpet.

Joker had just let go for a second to pick up the TV remote when he heard a thud behind him and he turned to find Jayde, completely passed out on the floor. Grizz was watching this with mild interest but when Joker burst into cackles, he fell to his knees next to her, shaking her.

"Jaaaaayde…" he cooed, still giggling, trying to wake her although it seemed she was really, really out good.

"Oh god, what did you do to her this time?" Dotcom asked as he had walked in from the garage at some point and was now wiping his hands on a towel as he watched Joker giggle uncontrollably, now tying knots into Jayde's hair.

"Oh, I just…introduced her to a lit-tle…_friend_ of mine…heh..." He answered but only seconds later, fell on his face next to Jayde, fast asleep.

Jayde came around several hours later when the thick, savory scent of something delicious met her nose, stirring her from that heavy slumber the drugs had put her under. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, revealing the living room where Grizz was sitting on the couch, watching TV. His eyes slid to her on the floor but he did not say anything, as usual, before he went back to watching. With a groan, Jayde pushed herself up to a sitting position on the floor, glancing around for Joker who had apparently already come around from the medicine. He was not in the living room nor at the kitchen table. However, before she could get up to go find him, Dotcom was walking a bowl of something steaming over to the table before he turned to see her sitting up, blinking dazedly.

"Hey, I made you some soup. You hungry?" he asked of Jayde with a smile as she nodded, rising from the carpet but she stumbled a few steps, reaching up to hold her head. "Yeah, you should have seen you and Joker earlier…You guys were so loopy." He said, sitting across from her with a bowl of his own and he watched with interest when she took a spoonful in her mouth, swallowing gently. She grinned with half of her face.

"I don't remember anything past him giving me the shot." She said, smiling the best she could as Dotcom laughed. "Where is he by the way?"

"Upstairs…in the room…" he answered, somewhat gently, glancing up as Jayde's eyes grew wider and she looked up the stairs toward the closed door where she used to sleep. She shuddered a moment later but went back to eating, slowly.

When she had finished, Dotcom offered to take her bowl and spoon in to the kitchen for her so Jayde began to climb the stairs, to walk down the hallway toward the broken door that hung loosely off the hinges. She took a deep breath to steady herself before she opened the door, only to find Joker on his hands and knees, wearing jeans and that white t-shirt, his hair pulled back into his little ponytail. He looked up at her, pausing in his scrubbing to watch as Jayde gazed around the room until he saw her take a shaky deep breath. Her hand moved to her mouth and he noticed her eyes begin to brim with tears again.

"Jayde, get out." he said quietly, but when she refused to move, as if glued to the carpet, he stood up, pulling off the latex gloves he had been wearing. They fell to the floor as he wrapped his arms around her, moving her back toward the door. "I'm trying to get it clean again." He explained into her hair as she sniffed, trying to keep her tears from falling. She nodded against the material of his shirt.

"I know. It just…it's scary to see it again. I just was wondering where you were. I wanted to-…" she paused, moving back slightly to look up at him and Joker grinned, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear. He could have sworn she was about to say that she wanted to see him. He ignored this for the time being.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, laughing slightly as he grinned, running his hands along her arms, up and down, consolingly. Jayde laughed as well, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"Really good actually. That stuff knocked me out. I'm still really tired though." She took a deep breath, finally looking up at him. He hesitated at first, glancing over his shoulder at the blood-stained bed.

"You can sleep in my room." He said after a moment. When Jayde's eyes focused on his with uncertainty, he nodded reassuringly. "It's alright. I don't want you to sleep in here yet. It stinks like death." He explained.

"But I wanted to take a shower too…" she said almost hesitantly, glancing in the room toward the bathroom, but Joker turned her face with his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"You can use mine. There are uh…_bodies_ in this one right now." He said and it took a lot of force not to grin and cause Jayde to think he had enjoyed killing those men because…he _really_ did. When Jayde continued to look up at him with those tentative eyes, he pushed her gently a few steps down the hall. "There's nothing wrong with my shower. Go use it. You smell." Jayde glared at him over her shoulder as she walked away. Joker watched her go until she reached his door and disappeared inside, closing it behind her.

It took a couple moments in pitch blackness to find the lamp but once she did, the light from it illuminated Joker's bedroom and she looked around herself with more interest this time. The carpet was the same color as the rest of the house, however, as she had noticed the night before, the walls were artfully painted black. When she turned, she noticed the back of his door was painted red and she was vaguely reminded of the Rolling Stones song 'Paint It Black'.

"_I see a red door and I want it painted black…No colors any more, I want them to turn black..". _

Jayde had a feeling he had painted his room with that song in mind.

A smaller, flat-screen TV sat atop a dresser across from his bed and next to it, a tall stack of movies. Jayde rolled her eyes. _So that's where he keeps them_. She continued to move through the room, glancing at everything curiously but looked down when she stepped on something cloth; green boxers. She grinned, stepping over them toward the bathroom, thinking it weird and yet not surprising that yeah, The Joker actually wears underwear like a normal person.

In his bathroom, everything that one would expect to find in a man's bathroom, she found here, including razors, deodorant, bottles of different cologne. However, at the sink, the three compacts of white, black and red makeup looked a bit strange among the other masculine things. A bottle of face wash sat next to these, across from a cup full of makeup brushes, soaking in water upside down. Seeing all of this opened a lot of perspective into the daily life of The Joker and although she was feeling extra curious, Jayde decided not to open the medicine cabinet over the sink; the last time she had decided to look through his things, the outcome was not so favorable.

Upon opening the shower curtain, Jayde gasped, jumping back as Joker's long, purple coat hung from the shower head, drying, scaring her half to death. After moving it to hang on the back of the now locked bathroom door, Jayde stripped down before stepping into the heating water. She had forgotten to ask Joker if the stitches could get wet, but she figured if they couldn't, he would just have to give her a new set and although that thought was a bit nerve wracking, she had no choice at this point.

Jayde stood under the water for several minutes, just letting it hit her body before she began to look around at the multiple bottles sitting on the floor. She had realized upon locking herself in the bathroom that she had not brought any shampoo from the other shower and she had a feeling that Joker would not have any, but as she bent to pick one of the bottles up, she grinned. _Ok, so that's weird. _She thought, reading the bottle of Axe shampoo. She shrugged, deciding that it wasn't all _that_ weird that he cared about his hygiene.

When she went to rub the shampoo in, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as goosebumps traveled over her; it smelled fantastic. A few minutes later, she found another bottle of body wash and after lathering up, she rinsed off, thoroughly surprised at his shower collection and with how clean and good she smelled.

A clean-looking towel hung on the rack just outside the shower and after she had dried off, she put her same clothes back on but left his room to go back down and get a clean set to sleep in out of her bag in the room down the hall. Joker was still in there, cleaning the carpet with chemicals now as she could smell them when she stopped just outside the door, not wanting to go back in.

"Joker?" she called and a moment later, he swung himself out the door, holding onto the frame as he leaned out.

"_Yeeeeeeees?" _he answered, grinning as Jayde laughed at his dramatic appearance.

"Can you bring my bag out here? I want to change before I go to sleep." She explained and he stepped back inside only to return a moment later, holding her duffle bag. While she looked through it, he grabbed her head, pulling it to his face to take a deep breath before he let go of her. She laughed, looking up at him confused.

"You smell like a man." He said, but frowned. "But…I kinda like it." He shrugged as Jayde laughed again, pulling a pair of clean underwear and a t-shirt from her bag. When she looked up at him, holding out her bag, he took it to throw it behind him into the room blindly. "I sure hope you're about to kiss me goodnight." He growled, grinning as Jayde blushed, looking away before she stepped closer, tilting her face up. He met her half way, gently leaning down to place one soft kiss on her lips as his hand slid under her wet hair to the back of her neck. He pulled away only slightly so their lips just barely touched and Jayde felt goosebumps covering her as his deep voice spoke against her. "Goodnight."

When she was halfway down the hall from him, Jayde turned. "Are you gonna be mad at me if I turn a movie on in here?" she asked, grinning when Joker made that scowling, 'thinking about it' face for several moments before he answered.

"Depends on which movie. If I come in there and it sucks, I'm gonna slap you, asleep or not." A sarcastic grin slid across his face as Jayde stared back at him.

She knew he was joking at the time, but wouldn't be necessarily surprised if she was woken in a couple hours by a hand smacking her head.

Several hours passed and Joker sighed wearily as he sat up to his knees, wiping sweat from his forehead with his forearm only to grin to himself when he left a long streak of white makeup along his skin. Looking about himself, he saw that the room did look better in comparison to before, although the bodies in the shower were starting to smell. He had a feeling Grizz wouldn't mind taking care of them so he stepped out into the hallway to tell him where they were and where to put them. Grizz nodded, rising from the couch.

Joker looked down toward his bedroom and his curiosity got the better of him, moving him down the hall until he opened the door to find his room illuminated by the blue glow from his TV. Looking to the screen, he instantly recognized a scene from the third 'Saw' movie and he grinned smugly; _good movie, _he thought, moving into the room.

Pulling his dirty shirt off, he threw it across the room, listening to where it landed so he could retrieve it later since his eyes had fallen onto Jayde's sleeping figure in his bed, distracting him. She looked so cute, he almost wanted wake her up to tell her 'stop it right now' but she was breathing heavily, deep in sleep, so he left her alone, going into his dark bathroom to shower.

When he emerged twenty minutes later, feeling as though he had shed a layer of skin, he reached up, sliding his hands down his smooth yet scarred cheeks, now free of makeup. Jayde was as asleep as ever but had turned over at some point, now facing his direction, although she continued to breathe quietly. Her hair was all over the place, in her face and as Joker slid underneath the blankets next to her, he moved gently so he wouldn't wake her. His fingers reached out, pulling some of her black hair away from her face, causing her to sigh, shifting in her sleep. He grinned to himself at this, sliding his arm under his pillow to lay down, although he continued to watch her until he could not keep his eyes open anymore and no matter how hard he hoped she would 'accidentally' wake up, she remained asleep. So he joined her, but cursed his _deeply_ secret, inner, cuddle monster that he tried _so hard_ to keep at bay as he slid his arm around her to fall asleep.


	16. A First For Everything

**Author's Note: **Ok, kiddies, this is where it gets **M**ature, so…._bewaaaaaare_…..(Don't say I didn't warn ya!) Oh, and as always please leave a review! Thanks!

"JAYDE!!!"

Her eyes flew open from the sound of a loud bang waking her only to find that Joker, already dressed and in full makeup was sprinting across his bedroom from the door he had just thrown open. He jumped on the bed, practically landing on top of her and Jayde groaned loudly when he grabbed her hand, dragging her out from her comfortable position between his soft sheets.

"What?" she asked groggily. "What's wrong?" When she looked at Joker to find he was eyeing her up and down, no longer frantic, she gasped, tugging her t-shirt down to her thighs. Having been woken so suddenly, Jayde forgot to realize that she had fallen asleep without pants on and was now standing in front of him in just her knickers. Joker grinned evilly as she danced where she stood, trying to hide her polka dotted undies until she could find the jeans she had discarded the previous night.

"Nothing's _wrong_." He answered, but was now focused on her eyes, trying to forget how her legs looked with nothing on them. He grabbed her hand again, yanking her toward the door once she was fully dressed. "But c'mon, I have to show you something!" he exclaimed, giggling as he ran out into the hall and down the stairs, pulling her along with him.

Jayde had to run faster to keep up with him but once they had made it downstairs, he stopped at the garage door and pushed her in front of him to place his purple gloved hands over her eyes.

"You ready?" he asked in that clowny voice in her ear. Jayde hesitated, hoping his idea of this surprise was the sort of idea Jayde had and not something twisted and creepy. She nodded though and heard the door swing open in front of her. Joker pushed her out into the garage, keeping his hands on her eyes until they had stepped out. He was giggling behind her but once she was standing where he needed her to be, he wisked his hands away and Jayde opened her eyes, only to gasp.

There in front of her was her gorgeous Corvette, except…

"It's purple." She stated as though Joker did not know this and she finally tore her eyes from the deeply painted, bright, violently purple car to look up at him. His grin was evident through every crevice on his face, wrinkling lines into his makeup.

"Well, of course!" he exclaimed, turning to admire the car, with his hands clasped together. He bounced where he stood a couple times, cackling. "Isn't it _marvelous?" _ Jayde walked around the car, gliding her hand along the shiny new paint, trying to imagine how pissed her dad would be if he knew what color his car was. At the tail end of the car, he had applied his license plate already and the green from the letters 'Joe Kerr' stood out vibrantly against the purple. She turned to him as he watched her in suspense, anticipating her answer. When she nodded, he threw his hands in the air, dancing on the spot while Dotcom stood by the door, smoking a cigarette.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Joker said once he had finished celebrating. "You didn't really have a choice anyway." Jayde laughed, nodding her head, yawning still from her rather rude awakening. Joker noticed this but apparently did not care as he walked around the end of the car to climb into the driver's seat and stick the key into the ignition.

It rumbled for a second before Jayde had to slap her hands over her ears as the car positively roared, rattling the entire garage. Just under the sound of the exhaust, Dotcom and Jayde could hear Joker cackling as he revved the engine several times. Never in her time of owning the car had Jayde ever heard it get that loud but a second later, she figured that Joker must have tweaked that little 'flaw'.

Joker got out of the car after he had shut it off, but ran inside, cackling excitedly. Jayde raised her eyebrows, looking to Dotcom.

"Little sugar in the coffee this morning?" she asked, walking over as he laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that's just the thing. He doesn't drink coffee and he's been like this since six this morning." Dotcom answered, only for both of them to jump when the garage door flew open with a bang again and Joker emerged, carrying a large, black duffle bag, followed by Grizz who was looking leagues less energetic than Joker. He stayed quiet, but climbed into the driver's seat of the Escalade while Joker opened the trunk to start throwing things in, including his favorite rifle. Jayde and Dotcom watched this, slightly confused until Joker noticed but did not bother to explain. Instead, he merely walked over, knelt down to grab Jayde's knees and threw her over his shoulder as if she was one of the items he needed to load into the car. She screamed, laughing as he walked around, opened the door and set her in the seat, taking a second to smirk at her before walking back around to get in on the other side.

Thirty minutes later, after a completely silent car ride during which Joker sat quietly playing with Jayde's hair, bouncing his knee anxiously, the Escalade stopped behind a large building that Jayde instantly recognized as the back to Gotham's branch of Bergdorf Goodman's, a huge, extremely fancy and expensive department store. This held Gotham's most chic designer clothing, shoes and cosmetics and Jayde looked to Joker as he hopped out of the Escalade, draping that duffle bag over his shoulder.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, glancing around while he, Dotcom and Grizz strapped large guns over their shoulders.

"_We…"_ he began, motioning to the other two and himself. "…are going to rob this place blind." He walked over to her now, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to lead them up to the back, service doors. "_You…_are going shopping."

Just inside the door after Grizz had pried it open with a crowbar, Dotcom hooked some sort of device into the control panel box just inside the back room where Joker paused to load several buck-shot rounds into the rifle he was carrying. The device in Dotcom's hands beeped several times before he looked over his shoulder, nodding at Joker and Grizz who by now were stepping into the store, to find themselves just behind the front counter.

A young, blonde woman standing there looked over her shoulder but screamed at the sight of Joker and his huge, black man, holding those massive guns. Her back hit the counter as she jumped onto it, trying to swing her legs over to run but Joker had already caught her ankle, dragging her back until she fell on the floor.

"Ah, ah, ah, Just a second there, tutz." he growled, grinning down at her as he placed his foot on her stomach, pinning her down to lean on the rifle casually which was placed on her sternum, between her breasts. "See, as of now, I don't really have a reason to kill you. But…if ya keep screaming and making all this fuss, I just might _find _ a reason to kill you." He leaned down further, nodding with his eyebrows raised.

During this, Grizz and Dotcom had walked to the front doors and were standing next to the security guards, holding guns to their backs, just out of sight from the street outisde. Jayde was staring down at the terrified young woman as she lay perfectly still, her eyes wide with fear as she stared up at The Joker.

"How do you make the intercom work?" he demanded rather than asked, but shook his head when she went to explain with hesitant words. "Nah…No, get up here." His hands grabbed a hold of the material of her fancy uniform over her shoulders and he practically lifted her completely off the ground before he set her on her feet. "Make it happen." He said, pointing at the device.

'BING' came the sound as she switched it on, followed by Joker's raspy, clowny voice.

"_Goooood _afternoon, Bergdorf shoppers!" he said somewhat quietly, making the sound of his voice that much more daunting. "This is your good pal Joker, here. Just doing a little…uh…_browsing_…And today, since I'm in such a _wonderful _ mood, I'm going to make all of you a one time offer!" he said excitedly. "For a limited time only, if you don't bother me, I. Wont. Bother. You…Now…That being said, if anyone calls the _police_, however, I will personally make it my mission to kill every single person in this store. The doors are locked, you're stuck inside, so let's try to make this a pleasant ride."

'BING' the same noise rang out again as Joker dropped the receiver for the intercom on the counter before he grabbed Jayde's hand, placing the rifle against his shoulder to walk toward the escalators. As they passed rows of expensive clothing, Joker scowled at the frightened people, staring as they walked past.

"As you were, go on!" he said, waving the rifle at them, cackling as they all jumped, pretending to go back to shopping although Jayde could still see them glancing over their shoulders.

Upstairs, the women's department welcomed them, completely devoid of people and Joker frowned, looking around before he shrugged his arms at the emptiness.

"Well, there's hardly anybody here!" he exclaimed disappointedly, although Jayde had a feeling there were, they were just cowered on the floor, hiding. However, as they began to walk around, through the racks of clothing, he had been right; there really was nobody there. But then again, the store had only opened thirty minutes before they had arrived as it was only eleven o'clock in the morning. "What, do rich people not wake up until noon or something?!" he shouted at the empty upper floor and Jayde rolled her eyes, grinning as she began looking at clothes. Joker walked away from her, but she ignored it, throwing a cute yellow top over her shoulder to take with her.

As Jayde walked through the aisles and racks of clothing, she kept glancing at price tags, letting her jaw drop several times as she noticed most of the clothes were at least five hundred dollars a piece, some of them even reaching into the thousands. She grinned to herself; good thing she didn't have to actually pay for anything. Joker was still missing, but as she looked across the room, she saw him peering around at the ground, looking for hidden people, scowling with the rifle still rested against his shoulder. Jayde eyed him for a moment before she rolled her eyes at herself when she realized she found him the slightest bit sexy with that rifle in his arm. She grinned, staring down at the little, strappy black dress in front of her, wondering what the look on his face would be like if he saw her in it. There was a dressing room not too far from her and since she was as curious as ever, she walked toward it, grabbing a couple more things that caught her eye as she passed through.

The dress fit her perfectly, stopping somewhere around her mid-thigh, hugging her curves in even more ways than the purple one had and as she stepped back from the mirror, she called Joker's name loudly. While she waited for him to find her, she grinned, poking the cleavage that the dress created, that honestly, she didn't even know her body was capable of. Footsteps outside the dressing room could be heard, shortly followed by Joker's characteristic, snappy "What?"

When Jayde opened the door, Joker had his back to her but turned, only for that scowl on his face to replaced by a smirk, as his eyes traveled up and down her slowly in a way that would have disgusted her a week ago. He licked his lips, setting the rifle down in the hallway before he walked toward her, lowering his head to grin at her from just under the ridge of his eyebrows. Jayde felt her stomach turn over but she gasped when his hands grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her completely off the ground and onto his knee as he brought his foot up to rest on the seat in the dressing room while he stood. The dress bunched at her hips as she slid down his leg until she was practically straddling his hip and Joker growled, letting a couple of his fingers reach out to glide along the plunging neckline of the dress.

"Mmmm…Jayde, you need to be careful, doll. You don't know the kinda trouble you're getting yourself into." He growled, watching as Jayde's eyes widened slightly when his hands grabbed a tight hold of each ass cheek, forcing her most personal areas closer to his hip. A moment later, her hands fit behind his head when his lips pressed against hers and the feel of the scar on his bottom lip against her own was enough to arouse a throaty moan from Jayde while her fingers tightened their grip on a few green curls.

Jayde could have sworn Joker's hands were both at her hips but as one of them gripped her neck gently, she parted her lips a bit farther, ignoring the goosebumps that covered her skin as Joker glided his tongue along her top lip. A moment later, Jayde was sent reeling as his tongue touched hers for the first time and she sat up a little straighter on his leg, pulling him closer. Jayde tried not to wince when one of his scars brushed against her stitches, which did feel better that day, although it still ached when anything touched it. But she ignored the pain, not wanting to let go of his lips. Her lips fit perfectly around the tip of his tongue as he pulled away momentarily and she sucked gently, making a soft noise that caused Joker to growl deep in his chest.

Joker had to take one of his hands away from her for a second to readjust himself through his purple pants as he could no longer fight the sort of urges she was building within him. But he remembered a second later that they were standing in a department store he was supposed to be robbing. He pulled away from her lips, licking his own with his eyes closed.

"Jayde, we gotta-…" he began but growled again when she pulled him back to her lips, kissing him deeply once more, this time, gliding her tongue along the scar on his bottom lip. He practically shivered, holding onto her on his leg as more blood left his brain and went elsewhere but before he could do one more thing, a soft 'CSH' from the walkie-talkie in his pocket, followed by Dotcom's voice, startled them away from each other.

"Boss!" came the voice again and Joker growled frustratedly, fumbling in his coat pocket for the damn device before he pressed the button on the side.

"WHAT?!" he shouted and there was long pause before Dotcom spoke.

"W-we got the truck loaded with the cash but people are starting to get anxious. We gotta get goin'." He said and Joker's eyes slid up to Jayde who was now fighting to look at everything in the dressing room but him.

"Alright. We're coming down."

It was somewhat awkward immediately following Joker setting Jayde back on her feet but she moved to re-dress quickly, throwing all the expensive clothing she had got into a bag Joker had brought. Just outside the door, he was waiting, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, nibbling on his bottom lip, deep in thought. When she walked past him, he followed, slapping his hand on her ass, causing her squeal and walk on her tip toes as he squeezed.

"You brought that black dress right?" he asked and when Jayde nodded, he grinned, letting go of her. "_Goood…"_

Downstairs, in the back room, Joker and Jayde met up with Grizz and Dotcom, who apparently had been waiting before they went outside to regroup. On the way down the escalator, Joker had laughed at Jayde while she wiped red makeup off from around her mouth and on her lips and she had gotten it all off, but as Dotcom and Grizz both glanced at her, Jayde began to feel as if they could sense what had gone on upstairs. Joker fanned his hands at them.

"Go, we're wasting time." He said, but just as Jayde, followed by Dotcom, followed by Joker, followed by Grizz, stepped outside, the door leading into the store behind them burst open and an overly brave security guard stood in the way, his small gun raised. Grizz was first in his line of fire, but before Joker or Grizz could aim, the guard fired, hitting Grizz directly in the middle of his chest, killing him instantly.

Joker, Jayde and Dotcom had already run to the Escalade, leaving Grizz behind as obviously, the guard continued to fire at the truck, piercing the side of it several times as they drove off. There were no police cars in sight, but as Joker drove, fast, none of them said a word until they were several minutes away from Bergdorfs, when suddenly, Joker slammed his fist on the steering wheel, cursing loudly. Jayde looked over at him only to find an expression of something that mimicked sorrow on his face as he gazed out at the road. Dotcom, in the back seat, was silent as well, quietly watching the buildings go by until they made it out to the interstate to go back to the mansion, one man short.

In the kitchen, once they had brought everything inside, Jayde and Dotcom sat down at the table while Joker pulled three glasses and Grizz's bottle of Grey Goose from the cabinet before he joined them but did not sit. He poured enough in each glass to fill a shot glass before he took his own, swirling it slightly before he clanked it with both Jayde and Dotcom's.

"To Grizz." He said, and once Jayde and Dotcom had repeated him, the three of them toasted to him before downing the liquor. Jayde watched, somewhat surprised as Joker walked away solemnly, up to his office where he closed the door behind himself. She found it odd that Joker could convey sorrow when all he ever did was laugh; he laughed at misery and happiness alike. She guessed it was because Grizz had been working for Joker for nearly a year, and after a while, she supposed even The Joker could get slightly attached to people. For a moment, she considered following him, but she figured another moment later that he obviously wanted to be alone, so she joined Dotcom on the porch for a smoke before they went to the couch.

Nothing on TV interested Jayde, although Dotcom happened to find a particularly interesting special on Discovery Channel about the nano-computers or something like that; Jayde was lost five minutes into it. Joker's office door was still closed but she really wanted to at least go and give him a hug so she took her chances and climbed the stairs.

After she had knocked, Joker's deep voice came from inside the room a moment later.

"Come in, Jayde." He had answered and when she entered, she found him across the long room, sitting in front of his computer, looking through files.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked from behind him and Joker grunted a laugh.

"You're the only one who actually comes looking for me." He answered honestly. Jayde grinned, stepping forward to rest her hands on his shoulders, hoping he wouldn't sit up, out of her reach at her touch. He did not and instead, closed the screen he was looking at and hung his head while she began to gently kneed the muscles here. He groaned in contentment a moment later and Jayde had to keep her lips tight to keep her stitches from tugging when her grin tried to widen. It was so rare that Joker convey any sort of real, true-felt emotion so whenever he did, it always gave her a sort of tingly sensation in her tummy.

"I'm sorry about Grizz." She cooed after a couple moments, looking down when Joker nodded, rubbing his eyes with two fingers.

"Me too. He was good people." He replied, but shrugged. "Death happens. It's a part of life. If it weren't, people wouldn't enjoy living." Jayde nodded but leaned down, gently placing a kiss on the top of his head. This must have confused Joker as he turned in his sit, frowning up at her until she shrugged, blushing. He grinned a moment later, kissing the palm of her hand before he turned back to his computer. When Jayde simply stood there, he reached behind him, grabbing her wrists to place her hands on his shoulders again. Jayde grinned, beginning to massage again.

After several minutes of this, Joker's voice broke the silence. "You wanna finish watching Saw with me tonight? You uh…fell asleep before the best part." He offered. When Jayde didn't answer at first, he tilted his head all the way back, looking at her upside down. She continued to just stare at him until he reached up, poking his finger hard against the middle of her neck, causing her to gag slightly. "Say yes."

"Yes." She obeyed, rubbing her neck as he grinned, going back to the computer.

Dotcom made dinner again that night, but when only he and Joker showed up at the table, Joker looked toward the stairs, scowling at them as if they would tell him where Jayde was. But only a few seconds passed before she appeared, coming out of the room dressed in a new outfit she had picked out at Bergdorf's, which consisted of black, form-fitting jeans and a tight, hunter green top that hugged her ribs in all the right places. Joker grinned, staring at her as she pulled the tags off, until she noticed him. She struck a vogue pose at the top of the stairs a moment later for Dotcom, causing Joker to roll his eyes heavily.

After both Joker and Dotcom had finished eating, Jayde was still munching along slowly, trying with every chew not to bite down on the inside of her cheek. She had already done this once or twice, throwing her fork down on the table to grasp her cheek with her hands while Joker laughed, telling her 'I told you so!' Since she was the last one to finish, she offered to do the dishes for Dotcom who had made dinner for her the previous night as well. So he disappeared onto the porch to smoke while Joker remained in the kitchen, watching Jayde intently from the counter where he sat next to the sink.

She looked up at him slowly, several minutes into this, but brought her hand up quickly, splashing him lightly with the soapy water. He jumped, startled as he had been staring off into space almost dreamily. He frowned, jumping down off the counter only to bend down, grab her knees and throw her over his shoulder, again causing her to squeal with laughter, clutching the back of his vest as he marched over to the stairs.

"You're done with dishes." He said, climbing up to the second story. "We're going to watch Saw now."

Once in his room, Jayde climbed onto his bed, immediately going to the pillows to sink into them while Joker put the movie in. She watched him, guiltily eyeing him up and down as he undid his tie, sliding it from around his neck, before moving on to the vest, unbuttoning it. He must have noticed Jayde watching him as he smirked at her, causing her to look away quickly.

The title menu to the DVD was playing when Joker lay down on top of the covers next to Jayde, now comfortable in the white tank-top undershirt he wore under the blue button-down and of course, those purple, pin-stripe pants. Jayde tried not to stare too hard at his nicely toned but not overly muscular arms as he lay next to her, reaching for the remote. She had to admit, it was awkward seeing Joker unwind like this, but she was not complaining; he looked somewhat to die-for.

He must have felt her, again, looking at him as he said "I don't bite, ya know.." a few moments later, not taking his eyes from the TV and Jayde grinned, scooting closer. Joker's arm lifted for her to slide underneath so she could rest her unhurt cheek against his chest and once comfortable, she took a deep breath in of the light traces left over from his cologne. His hand rested on the curve of her side, although he laughed when Jayde lifted her head only to press her nose against the cotton of his undershirt, taking another deep breath of that intoxicating scent.

"Do I smell ok?" he asked, grinning further when Jayde groaned, nodding.

"Yeah, you smell awesome, actually." She replied, looking up at him briefly as he gazed at her, but when she moved to lay her head back down, he reached out, tilting her face back up to connect his lips with hers. Jayde had to admit, she had been expecting something like this to happen during their movie but responded deeply to his lips nonetheless as his hand slid under her hair, giving her goosebumps all over, including places she never thought possible.

Her hand rested lightly on his stomach and for a good couple seconds, she debated with herself on whether or not she should slide her hand underneath the thin shirt to feel his skin. Joker's tongue had found it's way into her mouth again and was just in the process of gliding along the contour of her lip when she decided to be adventurous and push her hand under his shirt, immediately glad in her decision when she felt his warm skin just over lightly defined muscles. Again, that tingly sensation spread to her lower body but Joker was pulling away from her lips, chuckling deeply as his hand took hers from under the shirt.

"Jayde, you better stop it, or we wont end up seeing the movie." He threatened darkly against her lips, causing her to shiver, but rest her head on his chest again, unsure of which meaning she wanted to take from his words. Joker watched her do this, slightly disappointed, but grinning at her shyness as he pushed his fingers through her hair gently, turning his attention finally to the movie.

Nearly an hour passed, during which Joker laughed several times at the most inappropriate moments for instance when a leg is sawed off and Jayde rolled her eyes against his chest; he _would _ find it funny. But after a while, Joker began to realize more and more that Jayde was being awfully quiet. When he looked down at her, he saw that her eyes were closed and her breathing had grown deep and even. He sighed, looking back to the screen, but grabbed the remote a moment later to shut it off; if she wasn't watching with him, then he really didn't care to finish the movie. It had almost ended anyways, so Joker stood up from the bed slowly, gently laying Jayde down before he paused to make sure she was still asleep so he could go wash his face.

At the sink, Joker squeezed his eyes shut as makeup ran down his face while he scrubbed it with his hands, forming a cleansing, light lather that tingled slightly against his skin. Besides putting it on in the morning, taking the makeup off was practically his favorite part of the day, the part where he felt somewhat 'normal' and clean again. He always loved the way his face felt after it was washed and as he exited the bathroom, he sighed, running his hands along his jaw line only to frown when he felt short stubble growing in; he would have to shave the next day, something he hated doing. Shaving around his scars was a _royal_ pain in the ass.

When he entered the dark bedroom again, now down to his boxers, he heard Jayde whimper softly from the bed, however, the whimper was not one of content or sleep; she sounded as though something was hurting her. Figuring it was her stitches prickling, he lay down gently but jumped slightly when she cried out loudly in her sleep, followed by a sob, very similar to the ones he had heard from her the other night. He watched her through the darkness as her eyebrows furrowed and she was still whimpering quietly. However, when her hand swung out to punch something invisible, Joker caught her arm, whispering her name. This must have only made the nightmare worse as she started screaming immediately thereafter, thrashing about wildly until Joker could get his arms around her tightly.

"Jayde!" he said her name loudly, only to hear her speaking in her sleep.

"No…Please, don't touch me." At first, he thought she was talking to him, but just as he was thinking this, she screamed, then gasped and was wide awake, suddenly, panting. Joker could feel that she had broken into a cold sweat and as tears spilled down her cheeks, she looked about herself at the dark room frantically.

"Jayde, you were just having a dream." Came Joker's deep voice from just next to her and it took a second to realize it, but he had pulled her into his arms, against his bare chest, just as he had the other night. "You're safe. I'm right here." He crooned and immediately, Jayde felt an overwhelming sense of calm settle over her, one that she would never have expected to associate with The Joker. She still trembled slightly as she lay there between his arms and Joker used his hand to smooth her long hair down her back but pulled back to look down at her when he felt her tilt her head up. He grinned, tapping the underside of her chin with his finger lightly. "You alright, kiddo?"

"Kiss me." She murmured in response, throwing Joker completely off-guard, although she did not have to tell him twice. His lips touched her top one gently before he pulled back only to catch both of them the second time, pleased with the way Jayde immediately parted hers, inviting his tongue into her mouth. She moaned against his lips, sliding her hand up into his green hair to grip several curls tightly while her tongue played with his. At this point, she was not sure what had come over her, but she was definitely enjoying the way Joker's hand was gripping her hip tightly, under the blankets.

Their kiss did not last all that long before Joker had pulled away and was now trailing light kisses along the underside of her chin as she tilted her head back, closing her eyes to sigh. She had rolled onto her back at some point, but Joker was beyond being a gentleman and was now knelt between her knees, holding himself up by use of his hands on either side of her ribs. She did not seem to care for the time being, so Joker continued, tracing his tongue along that sensitive area of flesh just below her ear, causing her to moan, gripping his forearms tightly with her fingertips. His lips left a dull tingling where ever they fell on her neck and as he moved to her collarbones, that tingling sensation returned, but Jayde welcomed it this time, instead of pushing it away.

Jayde noticed that Joker's breathing had grown a bit heavier when he pulled away from her collarbones only to sink onto his elbows on either side of her, closing the distance between their bodies as his hands pushed into her hair. He kissed her lips again, gently, cradling her head with his hands. When he pulled away, he took a deep breath.

"Jayde, it's really hard for me to keep kissing you like this." He said, still lightly placing kisses in between words along her collar bone, moving closer to the neckline of her shirt. "'cuz I'm only gonna want more." He admitted honestly, hoping she would understand. Her hands touched either side of his face, bringing him back to her lips where she let her tongue slip out to trace the scar from his chin, up his bottom lip. Joker caught it between his lips a moment later, sucking on it briefly before he realized what she was trying to tell him, without words; _She wanted him. _

Jayde tried not to think as Joker's hand found the bottom of her shirt and she arched her back, closing her eyes tightly as he continued to kiss her gently. His lips had found her neck once more and as he sucked roughly on the flesh between his teeth, she gasped, moaning as that tingling sensation intensified. Joker laughed deeply, pulling back to breathe down her neck.

Sitting up slightly, he looked down to find that he had gotten Jayde's shirt up to the line of her bra, revealing those amazing hips as she lay underneath him and just the sight of her like this sent blood draining rapidly from his brain, southward. Finding her eyes again, he looked to her as if for permission but grinned when she lifted her shoulders off the bed, allowing him to pull the shirt up and off her arms. He dropped it off the edge of the bed before his eager fingers hooked under the straps of her bra, sliding them off her shoulders before he leaned down, kissing her neck lightly as one of his hands slid under her back to the clasp. She arched for him, moaning when all he had to do was pinch the clasp for it to pop apart suddenly, revealing her breasts a bit more quickly than she had intended.

With a soft gasp, she brought her arms up, covering herself, blushing when Joker grinned, wrapping his fingers around her wrist gently. "Don't be embarrassed." He murmured. "They're _very _ pretty." Slowly, Jayde moved her arms, watching Joker's eyes through the dark as he took in the sight of her naked from the waist up. She had to admit, she never thought the first man to see her completely naked besides her dad, at birth, would be The Joker, of all people. She was glad he had taken his makeup off before he had gotten in the bed.

His hands reached out, kneading gently, arousing soft sighs and whimpers from Jayde as she placed her hands over his, amazed with how good it felt and he was hardly doing anything to her. However, she had spoken to soon, as usual, and let a loud gasp escape her when Joker replaced his hand with his tongue, sucking gently on her hardened nipple. She arched her back against him, squirming as she felt an almost uncomfortable amount of moisture where her legs met her body.

Joker's lips left her breast a moment later, trailing light kisses down her tummy while his fingers hooked behind the button of her black jeans, undoing it swiftly before the zipper slid down. Jayde felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach wildly as the jeans slid down her legs before Joker dropped them off the side of the bed, landing with a soft thud. As he sat up to his knees, gazing over her, almost completely naked, save for that small triangle of pink material, Jayde pushed her knees together nervously. Joker grinned at this, using his hands to push them apart again.

"There's no need to be nervous." He said quietly in that raspy voice, gliding his hands along her thighs toward the place where they so intimately met. "You just as perfect as I imagined you'd be." He cooed a moment later, glancing up at Jayde's eyes as one hand's fingers hooked into her underwear, tugging down, while the other hand slid under her ass, lifting it slightly. Joker gazed over her, completely naked, reaching down into the green boxers to wrap a hand around his now throbbing erection, and although it was really tempting to just thrust himself inside her to the hilt, he had to remember this was her very first time.

Jayde could feel Joker's warm breath against her inner thigh as he placed a kiss there, however when his finger reached out to stroke her wet entrance, she nearly cried out, arching her back off the bed. She was absolutely positive that nothing he could possibly do would feel better than that first initial touch, but a moment later when his tongue replaced his finger, she gasped, correcting herself immediately. Her fingers reached for his curls, gripping tightly as his tongue flickered along her soaking wet folds, causing the muscles in her back to spasm, arching her off the bed as she moaned his name, desperately.

This was all it took for Joker to stop, licking tastes of her from the corners of his lips as he kicked his boxers off, groaning when he saw what she did to him. Back at her lips, Joker kissed her deeply, sliding his hand behind her neck to the back of her head before he pulled away, gazing at her eyes intently as she stared back up at him. She looked nervous.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly, shutting his eyes as she slid her hands along his bare chest to his stomach, causing his dick to throb that much harder. Jayde nodded apprehensively.

"Just please don't hurt me." She whimpered, but Joker laughed breathlessly, glancing down between their bodies. He grinned when he looked back up at her.

"I can't make any promises, baby." He replied, moving his hips forward, watching her eyes as he began to push into her, only to shut them, dropping his jaw when her wet softness began to envelop him. Jayde whimpered, tensing up instinctively against the stinging, invading sensation, but looked up at Joker as he opened his eyes again, grinning. He stopped, about halfway into her, looking down between them as he felt himself reach a barrier; she was a _real _ virgin.

"Take a deep breath." He instructed quietly, watching when Jayde's eyes grew wide.

"W-why?" she asked but Joker found he could no longer take the time to explain and instead thrust his hips forward, filling her completely as a warm liquid spilled over him and onto the sheets. Jayde cried out, digging her nails into his back and tears sprang to her eyes instantly as she clutched him.

"Joker.." she whimpered, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes. He leaned down, gently kissing her forehead. It was taking every last bit of will-power he had to keep from swinging his hips into a rough rhythm against her, but he remained still, feathering kisses across her face, catching her tears with his lips.

Slowly, while he kissed her, he pulled out of her slightly before back in, repeating this action agonizingly slowly until he heard her sigh against his cheek, her fingers releasing their grip on his arms a bit. Jayde tilted her head back, moaning quietly as the stinging pain of her lost virginity subsided slightly only to be replaced by something warm, thrilling and above all, _wonderful._ Joker's hips had begun to pick up speed when Jayde slid her hands down his smooth back to the top of his ass where she dug her fingertips in, urging him on.

"Better now?" he asked, watching as her eyes slid open to a half-lidded point and she nodded, a sexy, contented smile sliding across her face.

"That feels so good, Joker." She whimpered, closing her eyes again, moaning when his hand slid under her hips, lifting slightly to find a better angle. Jayde had tightened her knees grip on either side of his hips and as Joker sank down onto his elbows again on either side of her arms, he kissed her neck, moaning quietly against the moist skin. Jayde shivered, goosebumps covering her from head to toe at the sound of his pleasure, so deep and erotic against her, stripping him of all abnormality, proving that he was just as normal as the next man. She had never heard a more arousing sound in her life.

He sat up again to his knees a moment later, letting his hand drop to rub his thumb in gentle circles against her clit, watching her face as she tilted it back, moaning. Her legs had begun trembling and as Joker stirred up something huge and exhilaratingly pleasurable within her lower body, Jayde panted, whimpering with each breath until she heard Joker's deep voice.

"You're gonna cum, Jayde." He grunted as if explaining what she felt although this only worked to push her further until she cried out his name, gripping his hips in her hands tightly as her walls clenched rhythmically around him. Joker groaned, dropping his jaw slightly as her release spilled onto him, easing his movement. Jayde was staring up at him, still gasping in mixed pleasure and pain as he thrust his hips fervently against hers. He knew it was hurting her, but there was not a thing he could do to stop himself as he grunted with each thrust until he threw his head back and positively _moaned_, spilling into her with a few more powerful shoves of his hips.

Joker practically fell onto the bed, blissfully weak, next to Jayde and immediately, he gathered her up into his arms, kissing her forehead several times. She grinned against his collarbones, closing her eyes as sleep tugged on her eyelids and although she really wanted to stay awake with Joker, his lips touched hers in the gentlest and sleepiest of kisses just before they both drifted off.


	17. The One Exception

Jayde woke the next morning with a smile on her face. Upon opening her eyes, heaps of purple blankets and pillows lay before her as she blinked around at the dim room, sprawled out in the middle of Joker's bed on her stomach. A strange growling noise next to her caused her to turn her head the other way, only to find the handsome Joker, snoring quietly. His arm was draped over her back as he lay on his side next to her, his fingers curled gently around her shoulder and Jayde could not help but allow a huge grin onto her face; she finally got to wake up next to him.

For several moments, Jayde lay there, staring at his peaceful features, bereft, for once, of that scowl he usually wore. A square of light was peeking out from around the edges of the black drape over the window, allowing enough light in to illuminate Joker's face so Jayde could see could see him in more detail. His scars were so deep and as Jayde stared at the one on his left cheek, she tried not to shiver, hoping with everything that hers would not look like that once it healed.

When Joker took a deep breath in, only to sigh quietly through his nose in his sleep, Jayde could not help herself but reach out and move some of his messy, green hair away from his forehead. He stirred, frowning slightly before his eyes opened, revealing those chocolate browns as he sighed again, deeper. His hand reached out a moment later, wrapping around her wrist as she had been touching her fingers to his scar and he brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it sleepily. She grinned so hard, it hurt her cheek unexpectedly so she pursed her lips tightly.

"Good morning." She murmured, resting her head on the bed as Joker leaned forward, pressing his lips to her shoulder, leaving a kiss before another, down her arm.

"Yes, it is." He agreed, gliding his hand down the curvy length of her back as the sheets fell just above the bump of her rear. His eyes met hers as his characteristic grin slid onto his face. "Did you enjoy yourself last night?" he asked, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile when Jayde nodded, blushing, hiding her face in the pillow.

"I'm kinda sore this morning though…" she replied, looking up at him to make sure he knew that she was talking about her private areas and he laughed quietly, whipping the sheets off of her, causing her to squeal, trying to hide her nakedness. He grabbed her hands, pulling her up against him, still smirking evilly. His finger pointed to a dark spot on the purple sheets below her.

"That's your blood…probably why you're still sore." He explained, grinning when Jayde gasped, looking up at him, turning onto her side. She shrugged sheepishly, moving closer until their noses practically touched and their lips brushed lightly.

"Sorry I stained your sheets." She murmured, closing her eyes to peck his lips gently once before he growled in his chest, sliding his hand behind her neck to fully connect their lips.

"I _might_ forgive you…" he replied deeply after he had pulled away, grinning against her cheek when he felt goosebumps rising all over her skin against his grip on her hip. Jayde had closed her eyes while they lay there on their sides facing each other and Joker took the moment, guiltily to take in the sight of her naked body in his bed, now that the room had a bit more light. Her skin was smooth, honey-colored in areas while the less exposed areas remained creamy and paler in comparison. The curve along her ribs, leading from her armpit to her hips was dipped and provided the perfect grip for his hand that he couldn't wait to use the first time he got her bent over the bed. He couldn't help but imagine all these scenarios as he admired her. It was obvious she was enjoying the touch of his hands against her as she grinned placidly into the pillow with her eyes closed. Joker frowned a moment later when his eyes fell onto a long, thin scar that ran along her side, all the way down to her hip bone.

"What is this scar from?" he asked, gliding his finger along it lightly, looking to her eyes when she closed them, sighing heavily.

"The night my parents were killed." She answered, finally opening her eyes again when Joker remained quiet, simply blinking back at her with a look of confusion in his eyes. "He broke into our house. He stabbed them both to death in their sleep." The way she looked up at him forced Joker to shift his eyes down to her hand that he held in his, playing with her fingers; he had done that same thing to many people. It felt odd to be sympathetic toward someone who's life had been ruined by something with which he was familiar _and _ fond of. Jayde continued when his eyes met hers again.

"He broke into my room after he killed them and tried to cut my clothes off." She explained, pointing at the long scar. "But then he just…jumped up and ran. I guess a noise scared him off or something." She shrugged, closing her eyes as Joker continued to trace his finger along it, up and down her side, slowly, lightly. "Then…the police couldn't find any trace of him- no fingerprints, no hairs, or…_fibers, _or whatever. All they had was my testimony and my recognition of a voice. He had been wearing a mask so when they made me come in for a line-up, I couldn't tell which one it was."

Joker watched Jayde's eyes glaze over in something he immediately recognized as hardened suppression as she fought away bad memories, no longer feeling any sort of emotion toward them. This was the sort of feeling Joker had about his scars and how they came to be; he laughed at the painful memories when it seemed Jayde simply hated them with her heart and soul.

"They wanted me to come in and testify against a man who's voice I recognized. But he had told me in my room that night that if I ever told the cops, he would find me and kill me, no matter when he got out. In five years, or fifty. No matter where I was, he would find me." She shrugged, turning over onto her stomach to rest her head on her arms. "So I ran to Gotham before the trial. My parents left me everything they had, but I sold our house in Montana. I didn't want to-…" she shuddered. "…I didn't want to ever be in there again."

Joker reached out, pulling her into his arms, hoping she wasn't expecting him to say anything comforting. He wondered vaguely how many parents he had killed, how many 'Jaydes' he had created, and how many families he had ruined. The thought did not sadden him or dishearten him in any way; he just wondered. Jayde seemed to understand and he heard her sigh against his chest heavily.

Several silent minutes went by, full of Jayde tracing small patterns on Joker's chest with her fingernail, and Joker had just about fallen back asleep when Jayde reached her hand up, placing it gently on his cheek. He opened his eyes, frowning to find Jayde grinning at him.

"Wanna know something?" she asked, showing practically all of her teeth as Joker raised his eyebrows sleepily.

"Hm.." he replied, closing his eyes again.

"…You're _really _ cute..." Jayde giggled quietly when his eyes slid open slowly, arching an eyebrow at her. "…In a tall, dark and handsome sort of way. I think you give yourself less credit than you deserve." She explained but gasped when Joker's eyes glanced at the canopy before he tucked his face against the pillow as his cheeks grew warm. "Joker! Are you _blushing?!"_ she squealed, grabbing his face with both hands. "Am I making The Joker blush?!"

He shook his head adamantly as he continued to bury his face into the pillow while Jayde sat up, trying to pull him out of it. She was practically sitting on top of him when he finally gave up, letting go of the pillow to lay there with his eyes closed, sighing. With her hips atop his, she leaned down, laying along his upper body, kissing his cheek before she nudged him gently with her nose.

"I have a feeling you don't like being called cute, huh?" she murmured, grinning when he wrapped his arms around her, turning his head to kiss her jaw.

"No, but I'll make an exception…for now."

After laying in bed for nearly an hour since they had woken, Jayde crawled over Joker to his bathroom after asking politely if she could take a shower. He had said yes, but on the one unspoken condition that she let him slap her bare ass as hard as he could when she climbed out of the bed. She had squealed, throwing her hands behind her to glare at him over her shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Joker now lay in his bed alone, scowling at the canopy when he remembered that he had chosen today to start looking for Grizz's replacement. A moment later, he sighed, realizing that sort of thing entailed leaving the house without Jayde and for some reason, he really wanted to be near her that day. He sat straight up in bed as this thought passed through his brain, his face now mangled in a huge frown; _what?! _

_No, there is none of that mushy gushy, 'lets be close all day', bullshit, buddy. _He told himself sternly, now rising from the bed to start throwing clothes on. _Just because you fucked her does not mean she's suddenly your little 'girlfriend'. _And with that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him loudly to go find that rifle…

When Jayde emerged from the bathroom in a towel, a grin was already on her face, knowing what she would find in the bed, waiting for her, and that thought sent a pleasurable feeling into her tummy. However, rounding the corner, her grin immediately flipped upside down; he was gone.

Slightly confused, Jayde began to dress, picking her clothes up off the floor from where Joker had dropped them the night before and once she was clothed, she went out onto the balcony, to the stairs. Below her, through the glass doors, Jayde could see the top of Dotcom's curly, red head on the porch smoking a cigarette so she went to him, grinning when he looked up at the sound of the doors.

"Hey, there. You uh…slept late." He greeted her with a slight question in his voice and Jayde's grin expanded as she sat down across from him, glancing at his pack of cigarettes. He noticed, sliding one to her. "Joker slept super late today too!" he exclaimed a moment later. "He just left. Didn't say where to, just stormed out and took the 'Vette." Jayde's smile disappeared although she remained quiet.

Silence descended on the porch as Dotcom watched the pool rippling while Jayde's eyes focused on something across from her, but not seeing it. She was deep in thought and had just tossed her hair over her shoulder, tilting her head back when Dotcom suddenly gasped loudly, causing her to jump. He was pointing at her neck with his mouth hanging wide open and it wasn't until Jayde realized this did he say anything.

"Please, please, please tell me Joker burned you." He said, pulling her up from the seat to walk her over to the reflective glass window where he pointed at a large, dark red mark on her neck, just below her jawline. Jayde gasped as well, clapping her hands over it. "Tell me Joker burned you." He repeated, his eyes slightly wide. When Jayde hesitated he jumped away, shaking his hands as though they were covered in something icky.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." He kept saying, shutting his eyes, shaking his head. "_That's_ what I heard last night…" Jayde gasped, walking over.

"You heard…us?" she asked, a sick feeling in her stomach as she realized she had completely forgotten that Dotcom's room was right next to Joker's.

"No, I heard _Joker._ I just figured he had stubbed his toe or something but…Oh god…That's why _he_ woke up late, that's why _you_ woke up late…Ugh…"

"I can't believe you heard him through the walls." Jayde murmured once she had sat down, surprised that even as awkward as it was, she and Dotcom had seemingly grown comfortable enough around each other to talk about such things.

"His voice is deep!…when he wants it to be." Dotcom explained. "It carries easily. I can hear him talking too sometimes. Not words, but I can hear his voice." Jayde shuddered although she was really beginning to wonder just where Joker had run off to.

They sat outside for quite some time until Dotcom seemed to notice the sour look on Jayde's face and he sat up suddenly, grinning. "Hey…we could both end up in major trouble for this, but…you wanna go get ice cream?" he asked, standing when Jayde nodded and they both went inside to search for the Escalade keys.

Twenty minutes later, Jayde and Dotcom had just stepped inside a small ice cream shop in Gotham and were standing at the counter, peering down into the cases at the flavors, murmuring to each other which ones sounded good. Jayde could feel the other people in the shop staring at the long cut on her face and she was beginning to understand why Joker snapped at people so randomly. The young girl behind the counter walked over to lean on it, smiling genially at them, only fading slightly when her eyes flickered down to the cut.

"Hi!" she exclaimed. "What can I get you guys?"

On the way there, Jayde and Dotcom had decided that in case Joker came home while they were gone, it would be a better idea to just get it to-go so there would be less time for the unfavorable to happen. Dotcom pointed at the canister of mint chocolate chip ice cream, asking for a pint, while Jayde continued to gaze down at the selection until she decided and asked the girl for a pint of her old favorite, peppermint.

After Dotcom had paid with some of the stolen money from Bergdorf's, they climbed into the Escalade, immediately pulling away from the shop to drive back out to the mansion. During the ride, Jayde couldn't help but feel a small part of her dreading, hoping Joker wasn't home yet but also hoping that he would be soon after they got there. However, when the Escalade bounced into the driveway, both she and Dotcom groaned when they noticed the back of the bright purple Corvette parked just inside the garage. When they walked past it, the engine could be heard clicking away, cooling down underneath the hood, indicating that he had not been there long.

And sure enough, just inside, when they opened the door, Joker was standing in the middle of the large living room as though he had been staring at the emptiness. He turned, glaring over his shoulder, causing an old familiar sinking feeling in Jayde's stomach. Both she and Dotcom froze at the door.

"And just _where_have you two been, hm?" he asked, approaching, speaking to both of them although his eyes were boring holes into Jayde's and Jayde's only. Dotcom spoke first.

"We went to get ice cream. Jayde's cheek was hurting…" he lied lamely, but when Joker's eyes slid to Dotcom's, Jayde cut in before he could start beating him up or yelling at him.

"It was my idea. My cheek was hurting so he offered to drive me." Joker looked back to Jayde, scowling with squinted eyes. He knew she was lying but decided for the time being, that it was the better idea of the many floating around in his head to just nod, raising his eyebrows as he turned to walk away. Jayde watched him go, blinking, surprised to feel hot tears stinging her eyes. Was that it? He had gotten what he wanted from her and now it was everything back to normal, being scared for her life from his wrath, tip-toeing between his mood swings, hoping he'll walk up and kiss her instead of hit her. Dotcom noticed her eyes filling with tears but did not say anything as she walked to the freezer setting her ice cream inside it.

When she passed him again, he reached out, grabbing her arm. "Jayde, go talk to him." he whispered. "You deserve better from the guy who just took your virginity, Joker or not." Jayde sniffed, looking up at him with a very determined expression on her face.

"Ya know what?" she said. "You're right." And with that, she marched right over to the stairs and up to walk down the hall until she stood in front of Joker's office. She paused there, staring at the white wood to take a deep, steadying breath before she knocked lightly twice.

"WHAT?!" he shouted from the other side of the door and Jayde rolled her eyes, fisting her hands at her sides.

"Can I come in?" she asked, listening closely for noises on the other side. Something crashed before Joker's loud voice.

"No." he replied, but Jayde was beyond caring, beyond being scared of him since he had clearly robbed her of the one most innocent, precious thing she had. Her hand gripped the knob tightly before she threw open the door with a bang, stepping inside. Joker was across the room at the lab table but was apparently not doing anything of great importance. However, he stood immediately from the chair, crossing the room to Jayde who had already marched over. As soon as she was within reaching distance, her hand swung back only to connect hard with his cheek in a slap that echoed like the crack of a whip in the long room. She took a step back, glaring holes through him as he stared at her, momentarily stunned.

"Just because you took my virginity doesn't mean you can…can…" she was trying so hard to start her little speech but those tears she had choked back in anger were coming up again, blurring her vision. "Is that all you wanted?!" she screamed a second later, shoving him as hard as she could with her hands against his chest. "-Just to take the small part of me that I had left?!" she shoved him again and Joker took it, listening to her as he stumbled back a step. "You're acting like nothing happened! Like it meant jack-shit to you! If that's all it was, then please, let me go home now. You've taken all I have to offer, unless you want money. If you want that, then take it! All of it is yours. Just take me home!!" her voice cracked and through all this screaming, she could feel her stitches tugging, stinging, but she ignored it, shoving him once more but Joker's hands caught her wrists this time, pulling her into his arms where she sobbed, fighting him, banging her fist against his chest.

"Jayde!" he shouted, grabbing her wrists again, forcing her to stand still and look at him. "Listen to me." He said, but when she refused to look up at him, he grabbed her face a moment later, shaking it slightly. Her eyes finally met his. "Taking your virginity was not part of the plan…maybe a little…_bonus _but…" he grinned at this, hoping she would too, but she did not and instead, stared back at him, those blue eyes alight with anger. He sighed, tossing his hands, looking to the ceiling momentarily. "I didn't _have_ a fucking plan in bringing you here!" he exclaimed, looking slightly insane when he ran his hand through his hair, glancing around. "Jesus, Jayde, it's like I just…I saw you and…I don't know, I wanted to know everything about you. There was just…something different in you that I had never seen…in _anyone._" He turned away a moment later, taking a deep breath.

"If you want to leave, tell Dotcom and he'll take you home." he said, again sitting at the lab table, not looking at her but instead at the petri dish in front of him. "But for the record…I want you to stay." He added a moment later when Jayde continued to stare at him. Joker's knee started bouncing under the table anxiously at the awkward silence following his rather blatant revelation of the things he had been trying so hard to keep from her but when her hand touched his shoulder, he did not look up immediately, not wanting to meet her eyes.

Jayde reached down just a second later, grabbing his face to make him look up at her which he did, although reluctantly. "I don't want to leave either, Joker. I just want to know that I'm not just your little toy. I don't expect you to fall in love with me, Joker, because that's not what I want. If you want to know the truth, you and Dotcom are the only two friends I really have here or really anywhere for that matter! And I know that sounds crazy but I need to know that what happened last night wasn't just a game for you." Joker finally looked up but sighed, taking her hands from his face to pull them into his lap so Jayde was forced to be eye-level with him. His eyebrows raised.

"It was not a game. Fun, yes, but not a game. Believe it or not, I'm not as _heartless _as I seem." He admitted, looking back and forth between her eyes. "And if _you _want to know the truth, you are my _only _friend." He paused, grinning. "I'm not a real _friendly _guy, Jayde, so when I say…" he clapped her hands together. "…that I care about you…you'll know I'm tellin' the truth." He grinned when he saw Jayde's features soften into a smile and he reached up, touching her cheek with his purple gloved fingers. "_There_ it is…"

Jayde leaned forward only slightly, touching her lips to his gently in a kiss that she pulled away from a moment later, only to move forward, placing one leg on either side of his chair before she sat on his lap, facing him. Joker's arms wrapped around her waist to the small of her back while he sighed, looking up at her.

"You slap really hard, ya know that?" he asked, grinning when Jayde giggled.

"Sorry…Are you OK?" she asked, bringing her hand up to touch his warm cheek but he shrugged, taking it away from his face.

"I've felt worse, trust me." He replied, grinning when Jayde looked at him curiously. "Hey, you want to help me do something _really _fun?!" he asked suddenly, excitedly a moment later, looking up at Jayde who nodded somewhat hesitantly. "I need you to help me dye my hair…" he said, glancing down at his lap sheepishly. "Last time I did it by myself, I missed a huge strip in the back." Jayde laughed, leaning forward to kiss his lips.

"Sure. But can I go get my ice cream first?" she asked but squealed when Joker grabbed her ass only to stand up from the chair with her in his lap and set her on her feet.

"Yeah, go get it and meet me in my bathroom."

A few minutes later, Jayde entered Joker's bathroom only to stop in her tracks with the spoon upside down in her mouth; he was standing there shirtless in the light mixing the hair dye at the sink…looking _delicious_. She supposed it was because they had actually had sex now but that whole day, Jayde had caught herself staring at him at random times, noting the smallest, sexiest details about him, now including the scars and freckles she could see on his back, chest and shoulders.

Standing just next to him, Jayde could see a small, written tattoo on the inside of his forearm and when he moved it just right, she leaned a little closer to find the words 'Why So Serious?' engraved in the skin. She decided not to comment, but instead looked up at his face while he shook the bottle of green dye, mixing it. He looked to her, arching an eyebrow while he sat down on a stool he had brought in, grabbing a comb from a drawer under the sink.

"You've done this before, yes?" he asked, cringing as he combed tangles out of his hair. Jayde nodded, taking the bottle before parting his hair straight down the middle. When the gooey green dye touched his scalp, Joker shivered, causing Jayde to grin. Joker must have just noticed the spoon and pint of ice cream she brought in as he reached out, taking it from the counter. "What kind did you get?" he asked.

"Peppermint." Jayde replied, only to roll her eyes when Joker shouted.

"Gross!" he cried, but stuck a spoonful in his mouth none the less.

Since his hair was not exactly that long or voluminous, the dye application process did not take that long, however when Jayde finished, she pulled all his hair back away from his face with her fingernails to let it sit for twenty minutes. While they waited, Jayde sat on the counter in front of him, watching as he took another spoonful of her ice cream, grinning around the spoon. Jayde laughed.

"You look ridiculous right now. Your hair is going to be so green." She said but leaned forward, opening her mouth as Joker held out a spoonful to her, watching closely when her lips closed around the metal, sliding off slowly. Jayde noticed the expression in his eyes change and he growled a second later, motioning with his finger for her to come sit backward in his lap again. Once seated, she grinned when Joker 'accidentally' threw the spoon over his shoulder into the shower.

"Woops…Looks like it's dirty now. Better use my finger." He said, dipping his finger into the ice cream to scoop a bit out and hold it out to Jayde. Her eyes gazed at his as she leaned forward, letting her lips close around the base of his finger where she used her tongue to lick the minty ice cream off, slowly sliding his finger from her mouth. Joker's eyes slid down to her lips as they slid along his finger until she made a soft smacking noise at the tip. He groaned, dipping his finger back in only to wipe some of the white ice cream on her neck before he closed in, licking it off before puckering his lips to leave a kiss there, causing Jayde to whimper, resting her hands on his bare shoulders.

He repeated this action on the other side of her neck except when his gooey, sticky hair brushed against her face, Jayde squealed, giggling. "You're getting dye on my face!" she exclaimed, but laughed louder when Joker ignored this, sucking hard on her neck, just below the previously made hickey. When Jayde realized what he was doing, she squealed, backing away from him. "Stop! It's already big enough!"

Joker pulled back, licking his lips, grinning maliciously until Jayde dipped her finger into the melting ice cream, pulling it back out to let it drip down his neck, past his collarbones. When she leaned forward to lick it off, Joker groaned at the feel of her tongue against his bare skin and his eyes closed as he tilted his head back. One hand snuck down her back to the line of her jeans where he fingered the string of her underpants, teasing himself.

Jayde pulled back from his neck after she had made sure to leave a small hickey of her own, low enough so the collar of his shirt would cover it. She grinned at him coyly until he pulled her to his lips, kissing her deeply while she arched her back, sitting up a bit straighter on his hips. Joker growled in his chest against her lips, using both hands to grab her while he grinded his hips against hers, making sure she felt that tell-tale growing hardness through his purple pants. Jayde grinned, pulling back to arch an eyebrow at him.

"See what you do to me?"

**Author's Note:**…..To be continued shortly….


	18. Head 'Em Up, Move 'Em Out

**Author's Note: **….And I _always _ deliver…:D This chapter is admittedly a bit shorter than the previous ones but I really wanted to get this chapter out to you guys since I've been a little busy these last couple days. I hope you enjoy and there will be more VERY soon!

Jayde could hear the water running in the shower beyond the bathroom door while she lay in the middle of Joker's bed, grinning at the ceiling. When she thought back to a few minutes prior, the thought of Joker's partial erection made her tummy feel funny in a way with which she was wholly unfamiliar…not that she was complaining. The green dye had been scrubbed off her face after several minutes of standing in front of the mirror while Joker laughed behind her. Rolling onto her stomach, Jayde brought her arms up to rest her head on and her grin widened into the purple comforter.

Joker was in the shower for quite a while and Jayde was just about to slip into a doze when the water shut off and she heard the shower curtain 'shing' across the railing. That grin returned to her face; Joker was ass-naked just on the other side of that door. Moments later, the door opened, letting out a cloud of steam into the dark room and Jayde sat up, letting her eyes fall over Joker's lean frame, in a towel, dripping wet, standing in the doorway. His hair was violently green and his eyes met hers with that smirk that Jayde now found sexy versus scary. His face had been scrubbed free of makeup, leaving nothing but the man underneath, who was now stepping into the bedroom, looming over Jayde as she sat on the bed.

She knew it was openly obvious what she was doing, letting her eyes glide up and down his chest and stomach, lingering a bit longer on the cut oblique muscles over his hips, leading downward to where the towel began. But Jayde did not care at this point whether or not Joker knew that she was ogling him. However, when the soft click of a knife met her ears, her eyes darted to his side where she found his favorite switch blade rested lightly in his hand. Jayde looked to his eyes a moment later, only to find him grinning that 'Cheshire Cat' grin. His unoccupied hand reached out a moment later, wrapping around her neck loosely where he applied pressure, lowering her to her back on the bed while he climbed up, settling between her knees. The tip of the knife rested just between her collarbones, at the very top of her chest, where her neck ended. Jayde held her breath.

"Jayde, ya know, from the way you've been _eye-fucking _ me all day, I get the vibe that you just haven't had enough of me, yet…Am I right?" he asked, grinning wider when Jayde opened her eyes, nodding in response to his question. "Ahh…so you're…_ad-dic-ted…_?" he asked again in that deep, gravely voice, leaning down to speak in her ear, loving the way goosebumps rose up all over her skin. Water was dripping from his chest and hair all over her, leaving small dark spots on her green shirt. Jayde nodded again, letting her hands move slowly to the small of his back.

"I want more." She practically whispered in his ear, gently biting down on the lobe while she took a deep breath in; his hair smelled fantastic. Jayde had a feeling she sounded completely stupid but when Joker growled in her ear, rocking forward to grind his hips against hers, she gasped, feeling the rock hard erection he was hiding behind that towel. His free hand grabbed a handful of her thick hair tightly, causing her to cringe when she felt a couple pluck free of her scalp.

"_Well_, if you ask me nicely like a good girl, I. just. might. give it to ya." Jayde grinned, arching her back up into his chest as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling herself up against him as he knelt over her. Her knees tightened her grip on his hips.

"Joker?…Will you _please _fuck me?…" she cooed in the softest, most polite voice she had, grinning when she felt Joker shudder. She lay back down, looking up so she could now see his eyes which were glazed over and practically dilated like an animal watching it's prey. "…Since I've been such a good girl n' all…" she grinned playfully, running her finger along his small patch of chest hair. Joker growled but a second later had dug the knife into the top of Jayde's shirt, splitting it in half down the middle in one long clean cut before he grabbed one side, ripping it out from under her in one tug. Jayde gasped, gazing up at him with her jaw slightly slack as Joker grinned, sliding his hand underneath her to the clasp of her bra where he pinched it just as he had the night before, causing it to pop off in a rather abrupt way.

Joker ignored her exposed breasts for the time being, wanting nothing more than to get those _fucking _ pants off of her. Her ass was nothing but in the way once he had gotten the button undone and the zipper down and once they began to slide down her legs, he threw them across the room hard, not even bothering to look where they landed. That day, Jayde had chosen to wear her thinnest, stringiest thong but when Joker's knife touched her hipbone, sliding under the string, it cut into her skin slightly, drawing a thin line of blood. Normally, she would have cringed at this or gasped but it actually caused her to moan, in some masochistic thrill of pleasure. The string was severed a moment later and Joker wasted no time in ripping that from her body as well before throwing it haphazardly across the room.

With Jayde now completely bare before him, Joker felt a bit like a kid in a candy store, his eyes lighting up when he sat up to reach out and place both hands, knife included, on her breasts, kneading gently. Jayde whimpered, letting her eyes glide down Joker's stomach, eyeing his tensed abdominal muscles. She could count six, not including the obliques, along which she was having a huge urge to glide her tongue. Her fingers reached out instead, tracing these lines over his hips, downward to the towel, where she stopped, letting her eyes rise to meet his as the tips of her fingers hooked in to the lining. Joker grinned, leaning down to kiss her neck, hoping she wouldn't notice the massive fit of goosebumps she had just given him with that small, simple action.

"What?…You want me to take that off?" he asked, biting down hard on Jayde's neck when she nodded, causing her to cry out softly, tilting her head back. Lifting his hips slightly, the towel slid from between them and Jayde could not help but moan from her throat at the feel of him, bare, between her legs.

Joker did not ask if she was ready this time, only because, quite simply, he didn't care. When he bit down on his bottom lip, thrusting his hips forward, entering her quickly to the hilt, Jayde gasped loudly, digging her fingers into his arms as her back arched off the bed. It did not hurt nearly as bad this time, although it still stung, and Jayde was grateful for this. Now, without the pain, Jayde could feel the full width and length of him and she moaned again, louder before Joker had even begun moving; who'd have _ever _guessed…

Immediately, Joker's hips swung into a dangerously strong pace against hers, rocking her entire body. Jayde could feel his thrusts all the way down into the tips of her toes as she pointed them. She remained silent, only because she found she could not even _make _a sound. Her fingers tightened their grip on his shoulders, digging in until she could almost feel her nails breaking his skin. He did not seem to mind but instead growled deep in his chest, thrusting, if possible, even harder against her. This was exactly what he had wanted since he had first lay eyes on her…of course, besides all that other nice stuff he had said earlier. He had meant every word, but when it came down to it, he really, deeply down, in the most carnal of desires, just wanted to fuck her silly…and so, he was.

Joker only went so long in this position before his hands rolled her onto her side before he leaned down, pausing to growl in her ear. "On your knees." Was all he needed to say before Jayde got the idea and turned over, onto her knees, arching her back sharply when she felt his hands glide over her ass to those hips and that perfect little grip he had been admiring that morning. As much as Joker loved the way her hips fit in his hands, Jayde loved it even more, the way he gripped her so tightly, pulling her back onto him to meet each thrust. Her teeth closed tightly on either side of a small bunch of his comforter to keep from crying out and letting Dotcom know, no matter where he was in the house, _exactly_ what The Joker was doing to her in his bedroom.

"Ya like that, hm?" he grunted from behind her, letting his hands move from her hips along the curve of her back, rubbing her down from her shoulders back to her ass and back up again, slowly, deeply. Jayde moaned, nodding her head only to gasp when Joker's hand snatched another fistful of her hair, yanking her head back as he leaned forward. "WHAT?" he asked loudly.

"YES!!" she screamed, not even bothering at this point to keep it quiet. She groaned a moment later when Joker's teeth bit down on her flesh in the middle of her back, biting so hard, she could swear he was trying to make her bleed. His forearm had slid under her stomach, reaching around to grip her other hip as he slowed his pace down, looking around the room to try and focus his attention elsewhere for the time being. This was in vain. There was no way to distract himself; she was so tight and wet around him. He growled loudly, his deep voice echoing slightly in the room, bouncing off the black walls, causing goosebumps to rise all over Jayde's skin.

When Joker's forefinger touched her clit, Jayde gasped with a slight squeal, arching her back further as Joker grinned from behind her. He could feel her thighs quivering against his hand as he continued to play with her and it was obvious from her noises that she was not far from her finish, although when Joker felt a tightening sensation across his lower back and abdomen, he groaned loudly, shutting his eyes, trying to fight it off. _No, not yet, _he told himself, desperately trying to think of something else but when Jayde squealed, whimpering his name while her walls clenched tight around him in her orgasm, Joker gasped, grunting with each thrust until he matched her, sharing the release.

Joker fell onto his side next to Jayde, breathing heavily as he brushed his slowly drying, newly green hair away from his face before he let his hand rest on the small of her back. Her eyes were closed as she fought to catch her breath but they opened once Joker tugged her closer, smoothing her hair back to kiss her lips. She responded deeply but moaned against his mouth as she tasted minty toothpaste on his breath. Joker pulled away a moment later, grinning as their eyes opened to focus on each other.

"You ok?" he asked, cupping one ass cheek with his hand while she laughed breathlessly, nodding.

"Yeah…That was…_really _good…" she finally found the words but blushed when Joker chuckled deeply, sliding his hand under her hair to the back of her head, rubbing his fingers against her gently. Every part of Jayde's body felt tired and yet a dull pleasurable ache throbbed through her from the place where she and Joker had been so intimately joined moments prior. She really wanted to sleep but it was still fairly early in the night. Silence fell over them and Jayde was about to give up and fall asleep when Joker's deep voice brought her back.

"Did they ever catch the guy?" he asked and although this question was somewhat vague and awfully random, Jayde immediately knew what he was referencing. She shook her head.

"My testimony was really the only evidence they had against him, besides motive and I was never there to give it. My mom had judged his trial on a gun charge a year prior and when she was the one who had the final word in his sentencing, I guess when he got out after two years in jail, he came to find her. My dad just happened to be there as well. Several jurors from his trial went missing as well…but they never found them." She took a deep breath after this explanation, opening her eyes to meet them with Joker's. He simply stared back, expressionless.

"What is his name?" he asked after a couple moments, gliding his hand along her back to urge her on when she hesitated.

"Thomas Reicher." She finally answered, trying not to shiver. Joker leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead.

"What would you do if you saw him nowadays?" he asked after waiting a couple seconds but Jayde's answer came instantaneously.

"I would _fucking_ kill him."

Jayde could barely remember the following events from the night before when she woke the next morning to an empty bed. She was not completely surprised since it was already ten o'clock and Jayde was starting to learn Joker's habits; he rarely slept past seven. Her back ached slightly from the way Joker had been pushing on it with his hands the previous night but she couldn't help but grin when her pussy clenched all on it's own, just thinking of him. And with that, Jayde got up, frowning when she found her jeans laying sloppily over a chair across the room where Joker had thrown them the night before.

Of course, her underwear and shirt were trashed, courtesy of Joker's knife, so she found another set in her bag before she opened the door to the bedroom, squinting when sunlight from the hallway met her eyes. The house was quiet although the distant rumble of the Corvette could be heard just outside, even from where she was standing on the balcony. Jayde grinned, walking toward the stairs to go down and find Joker.

As she passed through the living room, kitchen and dining room area, she spotted Dotcom outside on the porch, smoking so she left him there to continue to the garage. Just inside the door, the rumbling of the exhaust revved loudly before it shut off completely. When she stepped outside, Joker was just stepping out of the car, scowling, fully dressed in his purple suit and pin-stripe pants. His hair looked great, if she did say so herself. When he noticed her, his features softened into something of an excited grin as he walked over, clapping his hands together.

"Good morning!" he greeted her as genially as he ever had before and Jayde couldn't help but arch an eyebrow, closing her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her lips once, gently. "Go get your bag and clothes then come back down here." He instructed but when Jayde opened her mouth to start asking questions, he placed his purple gloved hand over it, shushing her. "Ah, ah! Go." So she went.

When she returned after stuffing all of her stolen clothes and her old ones into her duffle bag, Dotcom had come out into the garage where Joker was now loading all sorts of bags into the back of the Corvette. She watched him blankly, holding her bag until he walked over, silently, taking her bag from her to throw it in with all the other stuff, slamming the back closed tightly.

"Ok, now I think I deserve to know where you're taking me." She said, watching his face as he passed her for the fifth time, taking a metal baseball bat down from it's place on two hooks in the wall of the garage. He stuffed that in as well, ignoring her question.

"Alright, Dotcom, we'll be back when we get back. Mind the house, stay outta trouble, all that good stuff." He said, wagging his hands as he walked over to Jayde, pushing her toward the passenger seat of the car. "Get. In." he growled, placing his hand on the top of her head to push her into the seat before shutting the door in her face to walk around.

Jayde's eyes stared up at Dotcom's through the window like a dog being taken to the 'farm' and he grinned back sympathetically, mouthing the words 'It's Ok.' as he nodded.

"See?" Joker said as they backed out of the garage. "Even the fag says it's Ok." Jayde rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her stomach to rest her head against the seat back, watching as the mansion slid out of her vision, behind the rumbling car.

Jayde had to admit, after several minutes of silently riding along with Joker, that the car did actually sound and ride better than it ever had while she had been driving it a year ago and she sighed. It just figured Joker and Dotcom would 'pimp her ride'. Looking up at Joker beside her, Jayde eyed him for a moment until he seemed to notice although he did not take his eyes from the road.

"Something _botherin' _you, sweet cheeks?" he asked but when Jayde went to answer, he pressed the gas down, changing gears so the car revved loudly, muffling her words. She paused, watching Joker lean forward 'straining' to hear her, although when she went to speak again, he revved the car again, this time giggling. Jayde gave up, rolling her eyes again as she rested her head against the window. Joker's hand reached over a moment later, taking hers in his soft glove. "No need to worry, doll. We're taking a road trip…Just you n' me."


	19. Rest Stop

**Author's Note: **There is some oral sex in this chapter!! All those opposed, say NAY and go away! Those who say 'YAY' to such things, read on and enjooooyeeeee….. : D

Don't say I didn't warn ya…..

The sun was beginning to position itself in the middle of the afternoon sky when Jayde finally noticed that Joker had bypassed the exit to head into inner Gotham and instead, took the interstate exit in almost the exact opposite direction. Jayde found this odd but knew it would be a total waste of breath to ask Joker where they were going; she was beginning to learn that Joker never liked to ruin a good surprise. However, after nearly two hours of driving with no conversation and no sound besides the wind passing the closed windows, Jayde sighed heavily, finally reaching her limit of boredom.

"Joker, please tell me where we're going." She did not ask and instead nearly begged only to groan loudly when he shook his head adamantly, his green, shaggy hair whipping across his face back and forth.

"Nope." He replied, grinning when he noticed her frustration. While Joker had no problem sitting, driving quietly but it seemed the silence was deafening to Jayde.

"UGH!! Well, will you at least tell me how long I have to be in this car?" she asked, turning to look up at him while he glanced out of the corner of his eye at her, scowling.

"We've got about two days of driving ahead of us." He answered simply only to grin more widely when her jaw fell open.

"Oh my god…You're _kidding_…Well…I suppose this is a really stupid question, but did you happen to bring any music with you? The radio doesn't work." Jayde watched when Joker's eyebrows furrowed a bit further and his arm twisted behind the seat into the mess of stuffed bags into the bag. _No way…_ she thought, although moments later, Joker produced a black CD case full of discs.

"_Actually_…I did." He answered, glancing over when Jayde began to go through the CD's. The first few pages were blank CD's, mixed songs that he must have burnt on the computer, although towards the back of the case sat several old punk bands that Jayde recognized from her high school days, such as Blink 182, Greenday, Sum 41 and bands of that sort. She grinned, pulling out one of them, surprised to find that Joker actually had a taste for something somewhat normal. She decided not to comment, afraid he might get annoyed, since, after all, they had two days of being stuck with each other in that car.

However halfway through the Greenday disc that Jayde had put in, the slow, melodic song 'Time of Your Life' came on and a huge yawn stretched Jayde's slowly heeling cheek. The previous night, she and Joker had fallen asleep fairly late after _finally _watching the end of Saw 3 and since she had woken somewhat early that morning, sleepiness was beginning to catch up with her. Joker must have noticed her yawn from beside him.

"Go to sleep. We'll stop tonight around ten or so. If you're still out, I'll wake you up." He said, glancing over as another yawn took Jayde before she leaned over, resting her head against his shoulder, not even caring what he thought. However, Joker grinned, slouching down in the seat slightly to get comfortable…for both himself _and _Jayde.

The CD had looped several times by the time Joker turned off the radio, now annoyed with it. Jayde was still asleep on his arm and since Joker did not want to wake her by moving to get another disc, he had let it play. But now, the silence was all he wanted to hear. They had been driving for nearly seven hours since ten that morning, leaving it somewhere around five o'clock. The sun's rays had turned golden yellow again over the horizon, leaving the sky streaked with shades of pink, orange and red. Joker's long legs felt like tight, wound coils after sitting for so long and he honestly could not wait to get out of the car in…another _five _ hours. He groaned, leaning his head back against the seat with a sigh.

Before packing the car, Joker had made sure to sneak into Dotcom's room that morning and steal a pack of cigarettes from his dresser, and now as he slowly reached over across Jayde, trying not to move her, he grinned, mentally patting himself on the back. As he lit one, the window rolled down, allowing a fresh, outside breeze into the car, rustling his hair. He took a deep drag of the cigarette, somehow feeling slightly renewed in way, rejuvenated. He supposed he could make it another five hours…

Four hours went by slowly, agonizingly and by the time the car had pulled into a small town, Joker was almost ready to call himself delirious. Eleven hours on the road, just staring at nothing, not even any other cars was enough to make anybody slightly crazy. Joker knew it hadn't been five hours since he last checked the time, but at this point, he didn't care. He was yawning every few minutes, having been up since about six that morning and wanted nothing more than to stop and sleep.

Jayde, luckily for her, had been asleep for nearly eight of these long hours, still rested against Joker's shoulder, snoring slightly when the car pulled into a small, eight room motel down a dirt road from the main street. It was dodgy, yes, but Joker couldn't exactly go waltzing in to a Hilton and ask for a suite. The motel would have to do. He rolled his eyes as he parked the car, knowing how Jayde would react if she happened to spot any cockroaches in the room.

"Jayde…" He murmured, finally letting his foot off the gas, pressing his nose against the top of her head with a sigh, closing his exhausted eyes. She stirred, whimpering sleepily as she sat up, blinking around at her dark surroundings as if trying to remember where she was. Once she had however, she groaned, closing her eyes again. "Go get a room." Joker said from above her, patting her knee with a folded wad of twenty dollar bills. She glanced down only to frown when she realized that Joker had no intention to 'steal' a room. He smirked, cocking his head to the side. "Gotta keep a low profile, sugar."

Jayde yawned as she stepped out of the car, glancing toward the illuminated office toward the end of the small strip of a building where the rooms, numbered one to eight, stood lined one next to the other. The building seemed slightly run down from the outside although it was not completely unfortunate-looking. As she walked down the outdoor hallway, she could hear some people speaking on the other side of doors, televisions going and for some reason, it came as a slight comfort that she and Joker weren't the only people staying in this particular hotel that night.

The air conditioning in the office hit her face like a breeze from Heaven and Jayde sighed, brushing some of her slightly sweaty curls away from her face while the woman behind the counter looked up. With square framed glasses and red, frizzy hair, Jayde was reminded vaguely of a 'Miss. Hannigan' type character and half expected to find little orphan girls running around doing laundry. She grinned none the less when she approached the counter.

"Hey there, sweetie. Need a room?" she asked, letting her eyes fall to the long, slowly forming scar on Jayde's cheek before they slid back up to meet her gaze.

"Yeah." Jayde answered, looking away, again loathing the way the cut was now the first thing people noticed about her. This made her stomach feel sick. The woman reached into a drawer behind the counter, producing a large ring of keys.

"One bed or two?" she asked, again looking up at Jayde, who hesitated.

"One."

When Jayde returned to the car after paying the woman, Joker was pulling a few bags from the back, draping them over his shoulders, glancing up as she walked over. "Good." Was all he said before he closed the back of the car, placing his hand on the small of her back to follow her toward one of the rooms.

"_Aaaaand_…behind door number six…." He said somewhat loudly in a game-show announcer type voice as Jayde unlocked the door to throw it open. "…It's a crappy hotel room!!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air while Jayde laughed, turning on a lamp next to the queen-sized bed. Joker had walked over to the bathroom, turning on the light. Jayde heard his loud, clowny voice echo on the tile. "But wait!! There's _more…"_ he walked out, carrying a mouse carcass by the tail, attached to a trap, scowling at it as he went to the door to toss it outside.

"Oh, god…" Jayde groaned, plopping down on the bed, running her hand through her hair. Joker was removing his purple coat, sliding it off his shoulders while she watched him with his back turned to her, standing at the sink. "Are you going to take a shower?" she asked, watching his shirt slide off his shoulders now. He shook his head.

"No. I'm exhausted and I took one this morning. Go ahead." He replied, glancing up in the mirror as Jayde approached him from behind, her eyes trained on something on his shoulder blade. Her finger touched a circular, jagged scar here the size of a quarter and she looked up to his eyes in the mirror.

"What is this from?" she asked, again looking at her finger as she traced the outer edge of the raised scar, feeling the smooth skin pass under it.

"I got shot." He answered far too nonchalantly for Jayde's taste as she gasped, now moving to see his face. "What, are you _surprised _ or something? Can't exactly have the uh…job that I have and expect there not to be any casualties." He explained, bouncing his eyebrows twice as he pushed her toward the bathroom. "Now, get outta here. You're makin' me blush."

Jayde grinned on the other side of the bathroom door, glancing into the shower, thankful to find that no critters had found their way into this section of the hotel room. There were two very old, tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the corner of the small closet sized shower, so Jayde turned on the water to step in after she had undressed.

The water got hot fairly quickly and Jayde sighed heavily with a groan as she let it splatter over her back. There is no way to explain how true it is that driving for long periods of time, even just riding in the front seat, is exhausting to the human body and mind. Jayde had done nothing but sleep the entire way to wherever they were and yet she felt more tired than she had in a long time.

Glancing down while washing her hair, Jayde noticed two faint, dark purple bruises over both of her hipbones in the perfect shape of Joker's two first fingers. She had a feeling a bruise-print of his thumb would be just behind her hip towards the middle of her back. She grinned, closing her eyes to lean her head back under the water.

Twenty minutes passed and if Jayde had been feeling tired before the shower, she was dead exhausted after it. Her body felt warm and toasty from head to toe inside the bathroom but once she emerged, the air conditioning hit her hard, causing her to shiver. Joker had apparently turned the TV on at some point, but as she dried off, she grinned, gazing over at his sleeping, makeup-less face as he lay on his side. She could tell he was already asleep from the soft growling noise he made through his nose.

The light in the bathroom went out before Jayde walked over to slip under the sheets next to Joker, grinning when he took a deep breath in, waking from the movement of the bed. Jayde had to admit, she _did _sit down kind of hard… Joker sighed, sliding his arm over her waist as she lay on her back next to him. Her fingers reached out, gently moving some of his hair back from his face with her nails.

"Sleep well, Joker." She cooed, grinning when she noticed the corners of his mouth twitch upward in a sleepy smile. He did not reply so Jayde watched him until his breathing deepened again and the smile slid from his face gradually. By that time, her eyes could not stay open so she gave in and slipped off to match him.

When Joker woke, it seemed that all of Jayde's hair had seemingly gravitated to his face over night and he frowned at the mess, pushing it away into her face. They had woken in the exact same position they fell asleep in however, it seemed Jayde had gotten a bit closer and was now turned slightly, her back against him. His hand was rested on the bed in front of her, over her hip and when he took a deep breath, he tightened his grip only to frown when his hand and arm found bare skin instead of t-shirt material or underwear. Glancing under the sheet, Joker grinned at the naked Jayde laying next to him and could not help but let his finger glide along her hip until he found her ass and just barely traced the finger along the curve. His finger had just lightly slid between the triangle where her closed legs met her most personal areas when Jayde shivered, moaning as she immediately woke, grinning.

"You slept…_naked…_" Joker stated the obvious, nestling his nose against the curve of her neck while he applied pressure with his finger, teasing her, arching her back off the bed slightly.

"Yes, I did." She replied, grinning when Joker leaned down, gently biting her shoulder.

"Sorry, but we gotta get going. It's already nine-thirty." His finger went away and Jayde frowned, turning over only for Joker to rise from the bed, stretching as his back cracked a few times. Jayde watched him go to the bathroom, grabbing a towel off the rack of clean ones by the sink but closed her eyes to catch a few more winks of sleep before he came back out.

Less than ten minutes later, Joker emerged in a towel, rolling his eyes when he looked across the room to find that Jayde had fallen asleep again, on her stomach, snoring quietly. Walking over, he sat down on her back in the towel, forcing a loud groan from her as he looked down.

"Ugh, get off!" she moaned, lamely swinging her arm as far as it would behind her, hitting his leg. "God, for being so thin, you weigh a ton." Joker laughed, placing his hand on the back of her head, forcing it further into the pillows as he leaned on it.

"It's time to get up. We should have left an hour ago." He explained, standing up now, allowing Jayde to breathe more easily. From the side of the bed, he watched, scowling and when she did not move, again, he reached down, yanking the blankets and sheets off of her, exposing her naked, now goosebump covered body. "Get. Up!" His hand grabbed her ankle at the foot of the bed, dragging her while she screamed until she fell out of the bed, onto the carpet with a thud.

"You're such an asshole." She muttered, standing up slowly. "Watch, I'm going to take less time than you. All I have to do is get dressed. You still gotta put your makeup on and all that other stuff…" her eyes glanced toward the chair where his purple ensemble had been the night before only to find it was gone. Joker passed her on his way to the bathroom, carrying a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and his middle finger pressed against her face as he held it up, flicking her off, up close and personally.

"Actually, I'm not wearing any of that stuff today, ya little snot, so shut up and get some clothes on." He snapped, shaking his head violently to fling any excess water from his curls all over the mirror. "It's hard enough standing here lookin' at you naked." He added under his breath, glancing in the mirror at Jayde's back side as she stepped into jeans, knowing she was rolling her eyes.

When Jayde turned around, Joker was standing at the sink, leaned against it with his arms folded over his chest, now dressed in a black t-shirt and faded jeans. The scowl on his face was familiar, even without the makeup, although standing there now, he looked like someone she had never even seen before. It was true, Jayde had seen him without makeup on several times up until this point, but never in the light, never with full sunlight on his face. She grinned at him, walking over.

"Ok, so you finished before me. Big whoop." She said, still grinning as her hands reached up, touching his upper arms. "Wanna fight about it?" Joker rolled his eyes to the ceiling but allowed the tiniest of smiles onto his face as he looked down at her.

"I've already kicked your ass once in the past, and I distinctly remember you saying 'Let's never do that again'…Sound familiar?" he asked, arching his eyebrow with a smirk while Jayde frowned, stepping away to go pick up her bag and sling it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, so let's go before I change my mind."

After returning the key to the woman in the office, Jayde and Joker hit the road, however, only five minutes into this session of driving, Jayde sighed as the car passed the exit sign to the small town they had been in and they moved out into a stretch of fields that went on for miles. She rolled her eyes, placing her head against the window, knowing it was about to be another long day of silent, boring driving. If there was one thing she hated more than driving for extended periods of time, it was _riding _ for extended periods of time. But Jayde had a huge feeling Joker wouldn't let her drive, seeing how she still didn't know where they were going.

Another silent ten minutes passed before Jayde turned abruptly in the seat, now facing Joker.

"Tell me something about yourself." She said out of the blue and Joker groaned, resting his head against the back of the seat.

"We've already played this game." He replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye while she stared at his face, starting to make him feel a little antsy. He did not like being stared at. "Pick a different one."

"No, tell me something nobody else knows. Like…I dunno. What's your name?" she paused when Joker looked over, arching an eyebrow and before he could give his smart-ass answer like she knew he would, she cut across him. "And no, your name is not Joker so don't give me that. C'mon, tell me your _real _name." She prodded, watching his brown eyes for every emotion although she knew they typically held none. He took a deep breath, scanning the road before him.

"You're gonna laugh." He finally said, grinning sheepishly at her. Jayde did not return the grin but simply leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand on the center console between them.

"Try me." She urged him on, watching the small grin fade from his face as he glanced down at his lap, shifting slightly in the seat.

"Alright, it's…My name is Kieron." He paused, glancing over at her. "That's it. Just Kieron. No last name…just…that." Jayde knew Joker was just rambling at this point, but she wasn't quite sure where to start or what to ask, although it was obvious her silence was making him feel awkward.

"Well…uh…who named you that?" she asked, shifting in her seat. Jayde had no idea such a simple question could turn into such an awkward conversation and the reason for it being so awkward remained a mystery to both Jayde and Joker.

"The orphanage's head mistress or whatever." He replied, running one hand through his green hair. "She was really eccentric…liked all the names to have a meaning besides being just a name. Nobody there was named anything normal like Bobby or Joe. I mean, my only friend there was named Shadow." He scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly. Jayde nodded, glancing down momentarily.

"Well, what does your name mean?" she asked and Joker grinned, finally meeting her eyes.

"'Little dark one'." He replied. "When I was six, I overheard Ms. Packson telling a couple potential parents that I was bad news. She said 'there is something not right about that one. That's why his name is Kieron. He means trouble.'" Joker laughed, shaking his head. "So that night, I set her bed on fire…She was still in it." Jayde did not gasp but instead, continued to watch him as his eyes glazed over in something that resembled wistfulness. "She didn't die though- didn't even know it was me. She only knew that bad things tended to happen wherever I was."

Jayde nodded, but grinned as she placed her hand over his on the knob of the stick shift. "Well, _I _think you're pretty great." She murmured, fighting not to meet his eyes as she felt him look over at her and she could practically hear him arching that eyebrow. "A little…_scary _sometimes, yes, but…" Jayde finally looked up at him, grinning. "…you're pretty alright to me." Joker did not answer but Jayde's grin expanded into somewhat of a goofy smile when his hand slipped out from under hers to rest on top, linking their fingers together over the gear-shifter.

They drove like this for quite some time, Joker squeezing his fingers over Jayde's when he needed to change gears or really whenever he felt the need to and every time, it made her grin just a little bit. The sun was moving into the mid-morning position as it had just rolled around to eleven o'clock and the Sum 41 disc had just finished playing when Jayde took her hand out from under Joker's to stretch her arms out in front of her, groaning.

"How long until we can stop?" she asked, looking up at him as she placed her hand on his leg, forcing herself not to grin when he glanced down but ignored it.

"Uh, we can stop anytime, I guess." He answered. "I just really want to get there and be done with driving."

"Alright, well, whenever you want to stop, that's fine. I'm kinda content." Jayde commented and silence, once again, descended. Another CD began playing, one that Jayde was unfamiliar with, so she closed her eyes, using her nails to absentmindedly trace circles on the inside of Joker's thigh over the denim. She had to admit, her hand _was _ a bit high up on his leg, but she figured he didn't mind and Jayde certainly didn't feel it was awkward in any way, so she left it there, continuing to scratch lightly.

Several minutes passed of this, silently listening to music and after a while, Jayde noticed that Joker had started getting awfully fidgety over in the driver's seat while she traced patterns on the inside of his leg. At first, he had shifted in the seat only slightly, then sat up a little straighter, clearing his throat a few moments later. He kept changing hands on the steering wheel and glancing in the mirrors a bit more. Jayde opened her eyes, glancing over at him as she inched her fingers up a little bit higher on the inside of his leg, grinning when he sat up taller again, lowering his head to focus on the road more.

Finally, when Jayde moved her fingers again, he reached down, grabbing her hand in his tightly. She grinned, wrenching her hand from his grip. "Oh, I'm sorry, did that tickle?" she asked playfully, turning in the seat slightly as Joker let a slow smirk stretch his scars slightly.

"_Noooo_, you're makin' my dick hard, so cut it out, will ya?" he replied, shifting once again as he reached down his other hand, watching Jayde's eyes momentarily as he adjusted himself through the uncomfortable jeans. His smirk expanded a bit when Jayde leaned over closer, letting her hand glide onto his leg again.

"Oh, what a shame." She purred, biting his arm lightly through his t-shirt as she got ballsy and let her hand reach between his legs, grabbing that partial erection through the denim. Joker growled quietly, still watching the road, although the car revved a bit when he pushed himself up to sit straighter.

"Ya know, I'm not one for teases, Jayde so if that's your plan, better stop now." He warned, glancing from the road again to her lips as she licked them, loving the way she could practically feel him hardening against her touch through the jeans. She did not respond, partially because she really didn't even know what she was trying to do. Teasing Joker while he was driving did sound like a bad idea and it was awfully unfair to get him hard with no intention of giving him any means of a release. Jayde's fingers continued to stroke him through the denim while she thought, eyeing his features as he scowled at the road. Of course, nothing was sexier to Jayde than when Joker moaned in pleasure or grabbed her hair because it felt _that _good. Then, she was struck with an idea.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Jayde turned more in the seat, grinning at Joker as he glanced over, arching his eyebrow, but raised both of them when her fingers hooked behind his belt, unbuckling it. The metal clanked together in some little symphony to Joker's ears and a moment later, he squirmed in the seat, gripping the steering wheel a bit harder when Jayde's fingers found their way through his boxers, freeing him.

Jayde's eyes looked up at Joker's uncertainly at this point, knowing that she had never done anything like this before and was not even really sure where to start. All she knew was that Joker was totally hard in her hand and to stop now would be falling under the category of 'teasing'. Luckily, Joker sensed her hesitation and reached down, placing his large hand over her smaller one to move it along the length of him, up and down, slowly, gently. He grinned, glancing over.

"This is an easy game, darling. But no nails and no teeth. Those are really the only rules." Joker explained. Jayde looked up at him, biting her bottom lip.

"No teeth?" she asked, glancing down at her occupied hand, surprised at the small clench of arousal she felt, watching Joker glide her fingers along him. he laughed, bringing his hand up to reach behind her head and pull her closer to his face.

"That's if you get adventurous and put it in your mouth…" he replied, grinning when Jayde pulled back, eyeing his lips as he took his eyes from hers to _try _ and concentrate on the road. This idea did not exactly repulse her, but for the time being, Jayde figured it was safest to just stick to the hands for now. Although after a few moments of touching him, Jayde looked up only to find he was completely passive and nearly unresponsive. It was obvious he was enjoying it, as she could practically feel him throbbing in her hand, although he was not making any of the sounds Jayde loved hearing him make.

"Does this feel good at all?" Jayde asked, frowning when Joker smiled, shrugging.

"Yeah, but…I mean, I can sit here and do this all day, by myself." He laughed after he said this, knowing how perverted he had just sounded however, when he took his eyes from Jayde, she leaned down, letting her tongue sneak out to testily lick just the very tip of him. He gasped quietly, his hips bucking slightly as one hand came down from the steering wheel to thread his fingers into Jayde's hair. "Now, _there's_ the ticket…" he groaned, struggling to focus on the road and yet watch Jayde at the same time. Of course, the road took precedence so Jayde's next moves remained a complete mystery.

Joker could feel her warm breath on him as she was obviously fighting herself on how to approach this, but a second later, her lips closed around the top half of him, sucking just gently enough to cause Joker to groan, tilting his head back, swerving the car slightly. Her tongue swirled around him inside her mouth and his hand tightened on the grip of hair between his fingers, growling.

"Does _this _ feel good?" Jayde asked, pulling back to look up at him momentarily while he practically panted, blinking furiously to keep his attention on the road. She already knew the answer.

"You have no idea." He replied in a deep, gruff voice, only for that voice to crack slightly in his loud groan when she took just about all of him into her mouth at once, trying not to gag as his hips bucked again. His hand slid from her hair to the far side of her face, his fingers tracing her jaw while she moved slowly up to the tip, sucking gently, before moving back down, allowing him to glide along the roof of her mouth. Joker was breathing rather heavy before he growled again, louder but Jayde sat up quickly when the tires began to squeal and the car spun off the side of the road as Joker jerked the wheel. She nearly screamed until she realized Joker had done this on purpose and had just pulled the car off the road in between a group of trees where he threw it in park.

Jayde squealed when Joker reached over, quite literally picking her up out of the passenger seat, and dragged her across the car into his lap. As if both had known this sort of thing was bound to occur, Jayde just so happened to be wearing the only skirt she had stolen from Bergdorf's and as she straddled Joker's lap, his hands bunched it up at her hips, pulling it up and over her ass.

"Like I said, Jayde," he began, reaching behind her to slip her underwear to the side. "…never been one for a tease." He growled, looking up to watch her face when he pulled her hips down onto him, bringing his up to meet her, entering her swiftly. Admittedly, it was an awkward position, but the way they were sitting made it that much more enjoyable as Joker could reach as deeply as possible without having to do much. Jayde's back was rested against the steering wheel and as Joker slid his hands under her shirt and bra to knead her breasts, she gasped, moaning when she rocked her hips forward. At this point, Jayde realized that for once, she was in control and as she rocked forward again, she looked up at Joker with something like surprise. He grinned. "That's right, girl, this is all you."

Jayde's nails were digging into Joker's shoulders through the black t-shirt as she used her legs to rise off of him and back down, finally finding a rhythm that worked for both her and Joker. His hands were gripping each one of her ass cheeks, grinding his hips against hers, using his hands to help her, squeezing every now and again. He moaned, glancing down at his lap where Jayde had now swung into a dangerous rhythm, causing him to strike something within her that sent shivers both down his and Jayde's spine. She whimpered, leaning back slightly only for both to jump when the horn honked unexpectedly. Joker grinned while Jayde laughed breathlessly, leaning forward to catch his lips in a rough kiss that she pulled away from rather quickly to moan, tilting her head back with her eyes closed.

Joker took this as his cue to start taking the lead so he reached over, cranking the seat back slightly to give them a tiny bit more room and from here, he swung his hips up against Jayde's the best he could, pleased with the way she cried out, placing her hands on his stomach. Joker moaned, fitting her hips so perfectly between his hands as he practically lifted and brought her down on top of him each time, matching this thrusts until that familiar freight train of pleasure began to build steam in his lower mid-section. It was not long after this that Joker was groaning, tilting his head back, dropping his jaw as he came with several more thrusts. Jayde watched him, grinning when he sighed, taking a deep breath before he opened his eyes to look back up at her. He returned the smile, rubbing his hands along her legs on either side of him and was just about to comment when, from behind them, came an all too familiar sound.

"WOOP, WEEOOOO" came the sirens of an interstate sheriff who had just pulled off the road, up behind them with his lights on and flashing. Jayde gasped, looking down at Joker as she moved to get off of him and sit in her seat. Joker frowned nonchalantly, holding onto her hips to keep her in place atop him while the officer walked up.

"What are you doing?!" she asked in a hoarse, panicked whisper as Joker reached behind him into the mess of bags, reaching for something tucked into the lining of the seat. He ignored her but when Jayde heard the soft click of a handgun being cocked, several things happened all at once; the officer had walked up and knocked on the window, Joker rolled it down and immediately after, fired one shot, hitting the man in the neck, splattering blood all over he and Jayde. At this point, Jayde had come to expect this and merely squealed versus screaming, but a moment later, flew into the passenger seat with a thud when Joker threw her there, pausing only momentarily to get his boxers and pants all situated again.

The dead officer and his car faded from sight behind them as the Corvette bounced out onto the main highway again and Joker grinned. "Ah, it's beautiful…" he sighed, leaning back against the seat as his hand found Jayde's and he placed it on his thigh after he had kissed the back of it. "A good fuck and a little murder on the side… Now, _that's_ what I call a rest stop."

**Author's Second Note: **_I just wanted to assure everyone that this story is not turning into one of those smutty stories where all they do is fuck. I do enjoy a good sex scene as much as the next lady does and I like to think that once a girl has had some Joker, such as Jayde, ya can't really get enough. Sex scenes, in my opinion, are like the cherry on top, so to speak; just that little somethin' extra to make it extra sweet!. So if you guys would like to see less of it, please just let me know and I'll have no problem cutting it back. But if not, then it will stay the way it is. Thanks to everyone for reading and stickin' with it! I appreciate all the reviews!_

_OH, and it's pronounced Kee-EH-rahn…Not Karen. haha_


	20. The Treasure State

"I can't believe you shot that cop…" Jayde moaned, resting her head back against the seat as the car began to move through a larger town than the last, complete with places she actually recognized. Joker laughed loudly, looking over at her.

"You _can't?_ " he asked incredulously, only to laugh again when Jayde shrugged.

"Ok, so yeah, I can believe it but…still, you didn't have to-…You shouldn't have…Ugh…" she gave up as Joker continued to stare at her, at a red light, knowing none of it was making any sense to him. He grinned, patting her leg as the light turned green.

Several minutes passed, cruising through this town before Jayde gasped, turning in the seat to place her hand against the glass as a Starbucks appeared just ahead. "Oh my god, Joker, I would love you forever if you let me get coffee." She turned to him, practically bouncing in the seat. "_Please?_ " she begged, grabbing a hold of his shirt. Joker scoffed, shoving her hand away, frowning.

"Fine, you fiend. Jesus Christ…" he mumbled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as if she had three heads while he pulled into the parking lot. Jayde grinned, leaning out of her seat to place a noisy, sloppy kiss on his cheek which he wiped off with a scowl after she had pulled away. When Jayde got out and noticed Joker getting out as well, she paused, looking up at him over the roof of the car. He grinned.

"Y-you're coming in?" she asked uncertainly while Joker nodded, walking around the end of the car toward her.

"Oh, yes…" he murmured, turning to glance up at the store in front of them, that malicious grin still stuck to his face. Jayde took a deep breath, taking his hand as he held it out behind him for her. _Oh no…_she thought but followed him into the coffee shop none the less.

The people nearest the door gawked openly at Joker and Jayde with their matching scars as they stepped inside, but Jayde failed to notice this; it was the first time she had even smelled coffee in almost two weeks. The scent alone was rejuvenating. However, as they approached the end of the fairly long line, Jayde stepped ahead of Joker in between him and a young mother, holding her young, toddler son's hand down at her side. Joker did not seem to notice at first, but the young boy was staring up at them, open-mouthed, and Jayde tried to find something to distract Joker with, knowing how he hated being gaped at.

Sidling up close to his side, she placed her hand, still connected with Joker's behind her back, grinning when Joker let go to grip her hip instead. That scowl was still mangling his features as he stared around at the store, watching the people behind the counter while they made lattes and brewed coffee. She could tell he wanted to make a scene, itching to cause some sort of chaos in this store, so Jayde moved closer until she had to look straight up at him.

"Thanks for stopping." She murmured, grinning when Joker finally looked down at her and that scowl disappeared only for a moment. He leaned down slightly, placing his cheek against the side of her head to mumble in her ear.

"You gonna love me forever?" he asked, only to laugh quietly when Jayde blushed, looking away to step up to the register as the woman and boy ahead of her moved on down the line. The young man behind the counter smiled at Jayde but only half glanced at Joker and she could tell he was trying hard not to look at him.

"Hey, what can I get you?" he asked. Jayde glanced at the menu out of habit although she already knew exactly what she wanted.

"Uh…Triple Grande, nonfat, four Splenda latte." She said quietly but the moment she had finished, Joker scoffed, rolling his eyes as he let his hand fall heavily on the counter.

"Seriously? _That's _what coffee is called here?" he asked rather loudly, staring down at Jayde who was blushing deeply, glancing around herself at the people turned to watch them. He continued grumbling to himself, digging one hand into his back jeans pocket. The young man rang up the order, only for the total to flash up on the small screen above the register.

"That's four-fifty." He said, only to jump when Joker grabbed the small screen, leaning closer as if he couldn't read it.

"What?!" he nearly shouted, looking at each of the people working behind the bar before he looked back to the now scared young kid. "_Five dollars_ for a fucking cup of coffee?" Joker leaned over the counter toward the kid who backed away. "How do you sleep at night?" he growled but did not wait for answer before he threw a five dollar bill at the boy, which fluttered to the ground behind the registers. "Oh, by all means, keep the change." He added over his shoulder as he pushed Jayde down to the end of the bar where the drinks were coming up.

"Oh my god…" Jayde moaned, pressing her hand against her forehead with her head lowered, shielding her eyes from the entire store full of people who were definitely now staring at them. Joker did not seem to care or notice, but moved behind Jayde, wrapping an arm around her waist again to stand against the wall, waiting for her latte to come up. The young boy and his mother were standing only a foot or so from them in the crowded back end of the store and again, the little boy was gawking at Joker, however this time, he noticed. Joker glanced down, doing a slight double take at the boy before he frowned immediately, glaring back at him.

The mother's drink came up on the counter and before Jayde could stop him, Joker leaned down, bent double to be eye level with the five or six year old boy. "BOO!" he shouted and immediately thereafter, the boy burst into shrill, hysterical screams, clutching his mother who shot Joker a dirty look before she scooped him into her arms to leave the store.

"Joker, stop it!" Jayde whispered hoarsely, grabbing his arm as he laughed, watching the mother and son through the window as she struggled to quiet him down outside.

"What? He was staring at me." Joker retorted, his eyes now falling onto a young woman with bright red hair, sitting in the window he had been looking out of. She had been laughing at the disturbance and was now grinning at him with 'the eyes' as he smirked back at her.

"It's probably because you have bright _fucking _green hair." Jayde replied, following his eyes until she too saw the other young woman. She frowned when she noticed this exchange and her hand met Joker's stomach as she stepped a bit closer to him, staring up at him. Again, Joker did not notice Jayde's attempt at his attention and it was obvious at this point that he was eye-flirting with this pretty girl, so although Jayde's coffee had come up and was now on the counter, she ignored it, stepping away.

It only took four steps to reach the table before Jayde leaned down slightly, placing her hands on it to slam closed the book the girl had been reading. The redhead tore her eyes from Joker to scowl at Jayde, who was grinning.

"He's hot, right?" she asked, pointing behind her openly at Joker across the way, knowing this was the sort of speak the girl understood. "Yeah, well, he's with me. So try your luck eye-fucking someone else's man." And with that, Jayde's grin expanded, now loving the way the girl was staring at the stitches in her cheek with a somewhat alarmed expression. Jayde stood up, walking back over to Joker to grab his wrist in one hand, the coffee in the other before she marched them both out of the Starbucks that will never quite be the same.

At the car, Jayde turned away from Joker on her side of the car, slightly annoyed while she waited for him to unlock her door. Glancing up, she could see the redhead staring at her through the window and her momentary bold streak was beginning to dwindle when Joker grabbed her arm, turned her to face him and he kissed her with such force, she was backed against the car as his hands went around her waist. His hand found hers, occupied with the coffee cup before he took it from her, placing it on the roof of the car behind her, still kissing her gently as Jayde grinned against his lips, rising onto her tip toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

Jayde knew perfectly well that The Joker was not her boyfriend, nor was he anything of the sort, but the thrill of jealousy she had just experienced in the store was alarming. She had grown angry so quickly and Jayde had never considered herself the jealous or envious type. But as Joker pulled back from her lips slightly, he grinned, bringing one hand up to cup her face.

"That was _awfully_ sexy of you, Jayde." He admitted, grinning further when she blushed, looking down, between their bodies at the ground. His fingers fit under her chin forcing her to look at him. He raised his eyebrows. "But you have no reason to be jealous. I'm out here in the middle of nowhere with _you_." He glanced over toward the window where the redhead was still watching them, surprisingly. Joker smiled, pressing his forehead against hers to gaze down at her eyes, inches from his own. "So I'm having this sickeningly sweet, public moment right _here_, right _now_, so that little twat _and you_ know where my allegiances lie, 'kay?"

Jayde nodded, grinning, but practically melted into the asphalt when Joker kissed her lips once more, gently, before he opened the car door for her. She sat but looked up with a slight jump when Joker handed her the latte she had left, obliviously, on the roof of the car.

As the Corvette pulled out of the parking lot, Jayde sipped her latte, grinning around the mouth of the lid, looking the other way so Joker wouldn't notice. He made her stomach flutter with butterflies and it really, truly wasn't fair. Jayde had never been treated like this by any guy, never had a boyfriend and as it dawned on her, Jayde realized how much it _sucked_ that Joker had to be so…abnormal. He displayed affection in a somewhat normal fashion and yet everything about him was strange, from the green hair right down to his continually loud, brightly colored socks that almost never matched.

In a perfect world, Joker would have a normal job and normal life and not be a serial, mass-murdering clown. They could form a normal relationship, maybe even a dating relationship, but the more she went along with him, the more Jayde realized that this perfect world was non-existent. Joker would not give up his life for anybody or anything, and that fact, he made perfectly clear. Although it was obvious he enjoyed being himself around her, showing her sporadic affection while displaying his sarcastic, caustic sense of humor, Joker was still…The Joker.

Jayde had already given up on the notion of them being 'together' but it certainly did not help when Joker slipped into his cute, affectionate personality. She almost wished he would be an asshole all the time and quit feeding this crush she was developing on him. A long time ago, Jayde had heard somewhere that a girl forms an emotional attachment to the man who took her innocence, and at this point, Jayde believed it. She felt girly and flirty around him for no reason and she almost always wanted to be touching him or holding his hand. When he hugged her, she melted, loving the way he was nearly a solid foot taller than her and her head fit so perfectly against his chest, under his chin. But…he is, and always will be, The Joker.

Jayde looked up, torn from her thoughts when Joker reached over, taking the cup from her hands to bring it to his nose, smelling first, before he took a sip only to cringe when he swallowed.

"God, that is _awful!_ " he nearly shouted, handing it back to Jayde with a disgusted look on his face. "Are you kidding me? I just _paid_ for that?" Jayde rolled her eyes, sipping it with a grin.

"Yeah. Good thing _you _ don't have to drink it!" she exclaimed. Joker glared at her, watching her take another long draught of the thing before he shuddered, looking back to the road.

"You're so lucky I happen to kinda sorta like you." He murmured, sliding down the seat slightly to get comfy while he continued to grumble quietly. "I tell you what…_lucky…_throw that shit out the window…five dollars for a cup of.…" Jayde could only catch snatches of what he was saying as he was only saying snatches of the quick thoughts going through his head. His voice rose from an irritated murmur to a loud exclamation. "-Pay ME five dollars to suck my–"

"Ok! We get the point!" she cried, recoiling when Joker swung his hand out, slapping her thigh before he squeezed her pressure point just over her knee, causing her to squeal, smacking the back of his hand until he took it away, finally grinning again.

An hour later, with the caffeine now floating around her blood stream, there was no hope for Jayde falling asleep. So now she was slightly jittery with nowhere to go and practically nothing to do. With no idea of what to talk to Joker about, she sighed, staring out the window to hope she would fall asleep somehow. A moment later, wind started rushing loudly past the window as Joker rolled his down, lighting a cigarette. Jayde sat up, looking over to his lap where the pack was sitting and she asked politely if she could have one before Joker glanced at the one in his hand and he handed it to her, pulling another one out to light it.

Jayde watched for a moment, however as he lit it, his eyes rose back to the road where he grinned around the cigarette in his teeth. His hand rose a second later, pointing at something up ahead. When Jayde turned her attention to the road, a large green sign up ahead read the words "Welcome to Montana! _The Treasure State" _ A loud gasp preceded what resembled a squeal of horror before Jayde began shaking her head with her hand over her mouth. Joker looked over at her, grinning, but his features fell into a frown a moment later when he saw big tears welling up in her eyes.

"Jayde…" Joker murmured, reaching across the middle of the car to let his hand slide onto her leg, but Jayde sobbed, pushing it away sharply.

"No! This is where you've been taking me this whole time? The one place you know I never wanted to go back to?" she whimpered, her eyes darting around the car's surroundings, now driving through shady mountain trails over looking steep valleys. "What is this supposed to be? Some sort of cruel joke, making me relive all of this again?!" All of these accusations had come forth in the form of questions but Jayde did not wait for any answers. "Pull over. I want to get out. Just…Please-…"

"No, Jayde. Let's keep going." Joker replied but reached out his hand quickly, shouting her name when Jayde reached for the door handle while at the same time undoing her seatbelt. The tires squealed loudly as Joker pulled off the road onto a small shoulder while Jayde forced the door open just enough to let her foot out. Joker had to admit to himself, as he got out of the now stopped car, following Jayde, that this was definitely not the reaction he had been expecting. He definitely hadn't expected her to be excited, but this was ridiculous.

"What the fuck are you trying to do?! Kill yourself?!" he shouted, storming after her as she walked briskly away from him, back down the way they had come, her arms folded over her chest. When she ignored him, he growled, running after her until he was close enough to grab her arm and turn her to face him. When she met his eyes, the look on her face was one Joker had never seen there before and she actually screamed, wrenching her arm away from his grip.

"I'm not going to Montana! I left for a reason and you're a fucking _prick_ for bringing me back here…not even telling me where we're going…" she shouted. "I should have known. I recognized everything on the way here and I can't believe I was so _stupid _ as to think that you had just…_chosen _ to get out of Gotham with me, even for a few days." She laughed falsely, throwing her arms in the air as she turned to walk away from him again. "I can't BELIEVE I thought just for a minute there that you just wanted to get away and spend time with me like _normal _ people." She said over her shoulder, laughing again as she shook her head. Joker watched her go for a moment, for once, unsure of what to do or say. His jaw was hanging slightly slack until he licked his lips, straightening up, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Oh, so what are you gonna do, huh? _Walk _ back to Gotham?" he shouted after her. "Ok, I'll see you in four days when you've made it a hundred miles from here. Try not to get mauled to death by a bear!" He huffed angrily, fisting his hands at his sides as he turned away, marching back up towards the Corvette where he yanked open the door, sitting down in the seat heavily. He sat there for several moments on end, just scowling at the steering wheel until he suddenly reached forward, turning the key in the ignition to start the car and push it into reverse.

The transmission of the car whirred as he floored it backwards, turning in the seat with his hand behind the passenger's to look behind him until he saw the back of Jayde, still walking with her arms folded over her chest. Slowing down and pulling up beside her, Joker leaned down and over to look up at her, letting the car coast backward at her speed.

"Jayde, get in." he demanded but sighed when he noticed the tear trails against her skin. "_Please? _ Let's at least go find a hotel room and _then_ you can try and convince me to drive back." When she continued to ignore him, he grinned. "You can take a hot shower and a _naaaaap…._" He bribed. "And I might even rub your back." His grin expanded when Jayde stopped, turning to look down at him through the open window.

"For as long as I want?"

Joker nodded. "For as long as you want." He promised. Finally, Jayde opened the door, plopping heavily down in the seat, sniffling slightly as she wiped her moist, chilled cheeks with the palms of her hands. Joker smiled, reaching up his hand to the opposite side of her face where he pulled her head closer until it rested on his shoulder and Jayde whimpered, trying not to start crying again. She could not explain it, but something in the way he comforted her made her want to cry harder or start again and she always felt like such a baby around him. "It's gonna be Ok." He mumbled, reaching over to slide his hand between her closed knees, gripping the left one to rub it with his thumb consolingly. His words were nice but did not do much to quell the overwhelming feeling of dread she felt as the car began to move into the hills again.

Only thirty minutes or so passed silently, Jayde's head still rested against his shoulder with her eyes closed, trying not to think of all the places she was going to see and recognize, remember being there with her parents as a kid. If he was going anywhere near Billings, which she was not sure how he would know that was where she had lived, she would most definitely freak out. But luckily, only a half hour passed before the car stopped and Joker shrugged his shoulder, moving her head.

"Let's go." He said, climbing out in front of a long strip motel just like the one the previous night, although this one was made to look like one long log cabin, separated into rooms by doors one through twelve. When Jayde looked around, she noticed that on the horizon, in the distance, they were completely surrounded by huge hills and even larger mountains further out.

Joker had backed into the parking space and while Jayde walked down to the office, he opened the back of the car, sighing heavily. Arguing with Jayde took so much out of him. Before their little falling out, he had been feeling fine and not the slightest bit tired. Now, as he pulled bags out of the back, he felt like he could sleep for days. However, Jayde had returned with the key to the room and was unlocking the door a few down from the Corvette.

Inside, they found that this room was actually leagues nicer than the last one and as Joker dropped all the bags, Jayde immediately walked over to the bathroom, stripping off her shirt as she stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her. She knew Joker had watched her do this from the other side of the room, thus the lock. She wanted to be alone more than anything, and as she stepped into the now hot water, she merely sat on the bottom of the tub, letting the water matt her black hair over her face. The tears came slowly at first, but it was not long until Jayde was crying openly, but quietly, her shoulders shaking slightly as she hunched them.

Just on the other side of the door, Joker stood, his head lowered with his ear against the wood, straining to hear under the water to see if she was indeed crying. And when he heard her whimper with a small sob, he sighed, turning to rest his back against the wood, rubbing his eyes after he had tried the knob only to find it was locked. The night of the incident with her face and the cut, Joker had thought he had heard more than enough of her tears; the sound of her crying made him sad in a way he was unfamiliar with. This filled him with the need to fix whatever was afflicting her but the helplessness he felt when he realized he couldn't exactly fix the problem made him angry, frustrated and above all, confused. Joker had worked so hard for most of his life to not care about anything. But when Jayde cried, it literally made his heart hurt and he felt a _little _like the Grinch on that one Christmas morning.

When Jayde emerged from her shower, Joker was standing at the sink, scowling at the carpet as though deep in thought although he looked up a moment later. Their eyes met and for several seconds, they stood there, staring at each other silently until Jayde's face wrinkled in tears and she hiccupped softly as she stepped over to him, burying her face into his shirt as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. His chin rested on the top of her head and he sighed, rubbing her damp back when he felt goosebumps rise all over her skin. She was quiet although he could feel her warm tears soaking through his t-shirt onto his skin but Joker pushed her away gently, turning her to walk her toward the large, king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

When she reached it, he reached around her to the towel, unwrapping it from around her to hold it up behind her. "Lay down in the middle." He instructed, stepping out of his shoes before he followed her on his hands and knees, laying the towel over her naked backside after he had folded it in half, massage-style. His knees rested on either side of her hips while he sat just over her thighs on his ankles and Jayde let out a soft sigh as his hands slid along the curve of her back, over her 'J' tattoo, to her shoulders where he squeezed gently, kneading the muscles here. Jayde's sigh turned into a moan and Joker couldn't help but grin when he noticed she had immediately stopped crying.

Jayde closed her eyes into the pillow, trying not to groan again as Joker kneaded her back in all the right places, occasionally flattening his hands to just rub her skin every now and again. His hands felt so good against her and Jayde could practically feel the anxiety draining from her body with each movement he made. When his hands slid up her back again, this time slipping into her hair, to rub the back of her head, Jayde let that suppressed groan slip out, arching her back under his hands slightly as they moved down again to the two divots just above the crack of her ass. His thumbs pressed into the flesh here before he leaned down, placing one kiss on her shoulder blade. Jayde smiled into the pillow, sighing deeply when he placed another further up her shoulder, closer to the curve where it met her neck.

"Feeling better yet?" he asked quietly, using that voice he knew drove her crazy but she shrugged, opening her eyes to peer at him from the corner of one.

"It's workin'." She replied, grinning when Joker used one hand to move all her wet hair away from the exposed side of her neck before he let his lips land there, pursing to leave a kiss. Jayde hummed softly, closing her eyes again only to let her jaw drop when Joker's warm tongue slipped out to trace a small circle on the skin, kissing gently before nipping with his teeth. Jayde whimpered, moving to turn onto her back to catch his lips, however, Joker's hand pressed her shoulder back down, forcing her to stay on her stomach as he began to trail light kisses along the curve of her spine. The few seconds between them seemed to last longer and longer the further he moved down until he passed the tattoo and continued until he had reached the line of the towel. At this point, he slipped a hand under her hip, rolling her onto her side, continuing to feather those soft kisses along her now goosebump covered skin while she finally made it onto her back.

His lips parted to allow himself a taste of the skin just over her hipbone and as his tongue darted across the sensitive area here, Jayde's breathing hitched in her throat. The hand of Joker's that he was not leaning on slipped under her opposite hip to the small of her back where he tugged gently, arching her back to pull her hips closer to his mouth as he had now moved across her lower tummy to the area just under her belly button.

Jayde's knees remained together on one side of Joker's waist but he fixed that a moment later by pushing one of them under him to the other side so he could settle between her legs, still fully clothed although Jayde remained completely naked beneath him. Moving back up her body, Joker let his lips leave several kisses between her breasts on her sternum and although Jayde tensed to anticipate the feel of his lips and tongue or hands on her breasts, he did not stop here and instead went back to her lips, kissing her deeply while she moaned against his mouth. Her hands slid into his soft, curly, green hair and she almost whimpered for more when he pulled away only a few moments later. He took a slow, deep breath before speaking quietly in her ear.

"Jayde, I want you to trust me." He murmured. "It was never my intention to hurt you by bringing you back here. No joke, sweetie, I just want to help you make things right." Jayde nodded against his cheek, closing her eyes when he kissed her jaw. "I _promise_ I wont let anyone hurt you while we're here…Okay?" She sighed. For as evil as he was, Joker sure knew how to sweet-talk and although everything in her body and mind was telling her that yes, he was right, she should listen to him, Joker knows best, she had to listen to her heart on this one.

"I trust you, Joker. And I know you can't understand what it feels like to be back here, but you have to try to see that this place just brings back bad memories." She closed her eyes, tilting her head back when Joker lay down gently, half atop her, half next to her, resting his head on her shoulder against her chest. His hand reached across her, rubbing the underside of her arm lightly. "My life was ruined here." She added and felt Joker's scar stretch in a grin against her collarbone.

"So don't get sad…Get even."


	21. The Hopeless Romantic Vs The Freak

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing as I MUCH appreciate the feedback. This chapter, again, has a sex scene but I'm almost positive this is one of, if not, THE last one. So enjoy it and let me know what you think! I'm really excited to keep going! You guys are gonna love it…Thanks!

Joker leaned back in the flimsy, plastic chair just outside the hotel room door, taking a long drag off the cigarette he had just lit. He wasn't sure why he had been smoking so much lately; he usually didn't smoke that often. But lately, he had been thinking a lot, about life, about _his _life, and being that pensive to a guy who was so used to acting on whims and spontaneity caused anxiety within his body that only cigarettes seemed to relieve. Above all, however, he had been thinking about Jayde.

His book, 'The Tale of Two Cities', lay open, upside down, and abandoned on his leg as he propped his socked feet up on the chair's matching plastic table in front of him. Nibbling his bottom lip, his eyes gazed unfocused at a chipmunk gnawing on something in the gravel parking lot before him. No chipmunks in Gotham…

Nearly two hours prior, after Joker had finished rubbing her back, he and Jayde had lay there with his head on her shoulder for a long time, silent. She had held up her hand, comparing it to the size of Joker's, both staring at their pressed-together hands. Joker's was much larger, rough calluses lining the ridge below his fingers and on the tips. He curled the top part of his fingers over the tops of Jayde's, smiling at how small hers was compared to his. They were much softer and delicate.

But not long after this, Joker had looked up to find that Jayde had fallen asleep so he rose from the bed slowly, tugging the blanket out from under her naked body to lay them over her gently. He had escaped to the front porch after a shower and started reading his book, but found that his mind refused to focus. After reading the same sentence five times, he sighed, closing his eyes to rub them, glad to be free of the black smudges that usually coated his fingers afterwards for a day.

Being around Jayde was relaxing in every sense of the word. She made him laugh, genuinely, and was one of the few people that didn't annoy Joker to the point of insanity. He was able to be 'himself' around her…whatever that meant. Around Jayde, Joker felt like a somewhat normal guy and although he _was_ beginning to miss the sound of panicked screams, he knew that once they returned to Gotham after their little trip, he would hear plenty of that to get his fill.

Being so openly flirtatious and affectionate with Jayde was nice; no buts about it. He liked kissing her _alot _ and he supposed it was because Jayde was pretty much the first girl to actually have a desire to kiss him back. It was obvious she enjoyed his touch as he could practically count the huge goosebumps that would rise all over her skin when his bare hands fell anywhere on her. Although it took nearly a week and _alot _of patience from Joker to get her to warm up to him, he sowed what he reaped and the harvest was bountiful. He knew that things could never work between them, but he was fine with that. Being with her for the time being was good enough for him and Joker was all about the 'now', not so much about the future.

He really did care about her and that was one thing, but Joker, as he thought about it, realized that honestly, if she were to die that night or the next day or the next, he probably would be the slightest bit sad, but not heart broken. He would be sad only because Jayde was someone he actually considered a friend. _Friends…_ he thought to himself, squinting his eyes slightly as the word floated around in his mind. That was a perfect word for their relationship. He could literally let loose, wipe all the paint makeup off, take off his purple coat and clothes and just be…_normal _with her_. _He was not sure what it was about her that made him feel that way, but he loved it most about her.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Joker failed to hear the door creak open but jumped, looking up when a hand touched his shoulder. His book thudded to the ground next to him from his leg but he ignored it, now gazing up at the sleepy-eyed Jayde, wrapped in her towel from before. He grinned, reaching out to touch her but both her hands caught his one and she tugged on his arm, hoping the look in her eyes would explain without having to find the words she currently lacked. Joker must have understood as he stood up, following her, led by her hands into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Only a few steps in however, Jayde turned, rising onto her very tip toes to kiss his lips while her hands fisted two bunches of his t-shirt between her fingers, pulling him down slightly to meet her. Joker hummed against her mouth, immediately parting his lips to let her tongue in and he welcomed it, linking his fingers behind her neck, under her hair with his thumbs against her jaw. Taking her hands from his shirt, Jayde let them glide down his arms until she reached his forearms where she stopped, gripping him as he pulled back to open his eyes although she kept hers closed, knowing if she looked at him, tears would come again. Joker's thumb stroked her jaw line gently and she sighed, tilting her head back slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, although he could probably guess fairly accurately. Jayde shook her head with her eyes still clamped shut.

"J-just…Please…Just kiss me." She pleaded gently, whimpering when Joker did not, but instead, leaned down slightly, lifting her off the ground by use of his hands on the backs of her thighs to carry her the few steps over to the bed. Her back met the rumpled blankets from her nap as he set her down in the middle of the bed before he climbed up, placing his hands on either side of her ribs and his knees between hers. His lips finally met hers again but he only kissed her for a moment when he pulled away, leaving one smaller kiss below her bottom lip before another, just under her chin in the now familiar fashion that forced Jayde's eyes closed as her hands found his soft hair.

If she was honest, Jayde was not sure why she had gone outside to get him. When she had woken, the bed had been empty and it took many minutes of arguing with herself before an overwhelming need for his comfort filled her, moving her to the door. Now, she wanted him. Not for sex, but for something, anything that felt the remotest bit like love. She was not stupid and she was not blind; Joker did not love her, nor she, him. But at this point, even if he had to pretend, she wanted him to make love to her. As usual, it seemed Joker could read her mind and was playing all the right notes.

With his lips traveling down her neck, Jayde could feel that tingling sensation begin in her lower tummy and she arched against his chest, sighing contentedly when his hand found the edge of the towel. Joker did not remove it at first, but simply opened one half, letting the tips of his fingers glide along her curvy side from below her armpit to the top of her thigh. Jayde shivered violently, opening her eyes when she felt him move to be near her face. A grin that Jayde had never seen him give before stretched his makeup-less scars and in that smile, his eyes told her that he quite plainly understood what she wanted from him.

His head turned to glance around the room, before he stood up from the bed, leaving Jayde to watch him as he walked to the bathroom, turning off the light, before crossing again to click the lamp off. The shades were the last to be drawn and after he had done this, Jayde watched him take his shirt off before he walked over to the side of the bed, dimming the reading lamp until a faint, golden glow illuminated the room. Jayde grinned in the semi-darkness at his attempts at some sort of a romantic atmosphere and as he joined her again, swinging one knee onto the bed, Jayde immediately caught his lips again, kissing him hungrily.

This seemed to confuse him, although he responded ardently before he pulled away, bringing his fingertip up instead, brushing it lightly along her moist bottom lip, tracing the contour until he found her stitches. His lips replaced his finger a moment later and Jayde sighed against his cheek when he began to kiss the healing scar gently, one soft kiss after the other. Jayde grinned to herself, closing her eyes. Where on earth did The Joker learn to be so…_perfect?_

All this time, Jayde was so distracted with Joker's kisses that she did not notice he had gotten the towel completely open but when his finger lightly brushed against her wet folds, she gasped softly, opening her eyes to look up at him as he pulled away from her cheek. He grinned, his brown eyes darting from her wide, blue ones to her lips and back up again. His fingers went on, continuing to stroke her, up and down, making gentle circles around her sensitive clit every few moments. Her gasps were evolving rapidly into whimpers, the whimpers moving quickly to moans and before either one knew it, Jayde was clutching his shoulder with her hand, squirming beneath him with her jaw slightly dropped while she practically panted.

Joker seemed to be enjoying the torturous teasing he was putting her through as he did nothing but watch her face, grinning, glancing down between their bodies every now and again. Although after nearly two minutes of this, he stopped, sitting up while Jayde took a deep breath, struggling to regain some sort of composure. Her legs were trembling as she sighed only to let out a soft squeal when Joker placed his lips against her pussy, kissing lightly before his tongue snuck out to taste her, flicking against her throbbing clit. Jayde's back arched sharply, throwing her head back with a gasp as he licked from bottom to top with a flattened tongue, curling the tip when he reached the top.

Her hips rose off the bed slightly but Joker pulled away only to bite down gently on the inside of her thigh while his left hand slid under one ass cheek, gripping her. Jayde took another deep breath during this intermission, but cried out loudly when he brought his tongue back, this time, sliding two fingers inside her. Joker looked up from where he knelt, practically laying on his stomach as Jayde panted in pleasure while his fingers began to glide in and out again, gently yet deeply. Each movement, he matched with his tongue against her bud, sucking every now and again, wondering which way she liked it better, although he was starting to get the feeling that she didn't necessarily have a preference; she was going to pieces either way.

Jayde could feel herself growing nearer and nearer that peak every second and she began to whimper with each thrust of his hand, clutching two fistfuls of sheets on either side of her. However, she had just about reached the top when Joker stopped suddenly, abruptly, pulling away to wipe the corners of his mouth on the inside of her thigh before crawling back up toward her lips. He kissed her deeply as Jayde groaned in exasperation against his mouth, grabbing his curls between her fingers as her body spiraled out of control in confusion at his abrupt stop.

A moment later, the warm tip of Joker's erection lightly brushed against her dripping entrance and Jayde pulled away from his lips with a soft gasp, opening her eyes to look up at him with their noses practically touching. She hadn't even noticed him taking off his jeans, but apparently, he had. He grinned, gently moving his hips to rub against her folds, now teasing both Jayde _and _himself. Jayde whimpered, wrapping one leg around his hip to dig her heel into his lower back, hoping to force him inside her although he resisted, grinning further when she practically growled at him.

"Joker…" she murmured, digging her nails into his shoulders so hard, she actually felt his skin break a little. This did not seem to hurt him and instead, he leaned down, placing a soft kiss next to her ear, continuing to just gently rub against her.

"Say please." He growled against her ear and Jayde did not hesitate.

"Please, pretty please, please, please…" she whimpered, gazing up at his eyes as he smirked, leaning down until their lips met and _finally, _ he rocked his hips forward, entering her in one swift movement. Both pulled away at the same time, moaning in unison at the sensation that tightened Joker's back muscles and forced Jayde's back into a sharp arch while her toes pointed.

"Oh my god, Joker," she breathed, tilting her head back as he kissed her neck, resting on his elbows on either side of her shoulders. "That feels so good." She told him this as if he didn't know and Joker laughed breathlessly against her neck, rocking his hips slowly, gently, making sure both of them could feel every detail of his movements.

"Ya know, I still love it when you say my name." He admitted, grinning when he felt Jayde do the same. She ran her hands along his smooth back, lifting her hips slightly, gasping quietly when he began to strike something wonderful and shocking inside her. His pace was perfectly slow and yet deep enough to continually force moans from her every time his hips met hers.

"Does this feel good, _Joker?" _she purred his name against his ear, catching the lobe lightly between her teeth as Joker moaned, finally realizing that his noises turned her on when he felt goosebumps rising all over her skin. He moaned again a moment later, deeper, allowing his voice to resonate in his chest.

"You have…_no_ idea..." He replied, reaching down to grip her hip, lifting it to force her closer so he could rock a bit deeper. When he moaned again, shutting his eyes tightly, Jayde wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head back when the pace of his hips picked up slightly. Having already been close to an orgasm just previously, Jayde felt herself getting close again although this time, she reached that threshold much quicker. Joker rose to rest on his hands again to watch her but felt himself peaking along with her. He closed his eyes but could not keep them that way when Jayde's hands slid up his arms to hold onto him as his name left her lips in a whimper.

"Joker.." She repeated it again, this time louder, desperately and as her walls clenched tight around him, her back arching, Joker thrust the hardest he had yet, leaning down closer over to bury his face against her neck. He moaned loudly, trembling slightly as he came, bucking his hips against hers a few more times. Jayde took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around his shoulders until he sat up, pushing himself to a kneeling position until he rose from the bed. She watched him go, slightly confused, watching him as he walked to the sink, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack to wet it under the faucet.

Jayde sat up on the edge of the bed, grinning when Joker hissed, cringing as he turned, looking in the mirror at his shoulder where two small, faint trails of blood were dripping along the skin. Two half-moon shaped puncture marks were bleeding slowly and Joker frowned, turning around to look at Jayde who grinned back at him sheepishly.

"You popped me." He said, walking back over as his frown slowly slid away to form a smirk while Jayde lay down, bringing her arms up to slide under the pillow. It amazed both Joker and Jayde how quickly she had gotten comfortable being naked in front of him. She brought her knees up, crossing her legs.

"Sorry…" she replied, watching Joker as he knelt on the bed in front of her, uncrossing her legs to part them. The cool wash cloth slid down her thigh to her still wet and sticky areas and she sighed, closing her eyes as Joker gently wiped her down, watching what he was doing, intently. Chills washed over her momentarily at the cool sensation but she had to admit, she did feel slightly cleaner and refreshed when Joker stopped to set the cloth down on the night stand.

"Jayde, I don't know if you realize this, but you are quite literally the only person I'm even remotely kind to." He murmured, laying down next to her, glancing down at his waist to run a finger under the elastic lining of his boxers absentmindedly. She nodded, turning onto her side to face him.

"I have noticed, trust me. But I don't know why." She replied. "Ever since you kissed me after Maroni's party, you've never really acted the same towards me."

Joker sighed, closing his eyes. "Because I haven't _felt _ the same towards you after that. I don't feel like…_myself…_ around you anymore." He paused, opening his eyes again. "Meaning, I don't feel like 'The Joker'…around you." His eyes rolled before he continued. "You pull this…_hopeless_ romantic out of me that I…just…can't explain." He shuddered. "_I hate it._" Jayde smiled, scooting closer to him.

"Don't worry, I wont tell anyone." She said, grinning when Joker rolled his eyes. "You're still The Joker to me and I _like_ the fact that you only act this way when you're alone with me. And I suppose you could say that I've developed a bit of a crush on you." She explained but immediately continued at the apprehensive, confused expression on his face as his eyes slid open. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but can you really blame me?" A grin stretched her lips as she shrugged. "You're pretty stinkin' cute for the most wanted man in America, Joker." He smirked, sliding his hand behind her head.

"Shut up.." he growled against her lips before he kissed her gently, moving slightly closer to reach up mid-kiss to turn out the light and darken the room completely.

Jayde felt like she had been asleep a total of five minutes when sunlight streaming into the hotel room stirred her from her slumber. Her nose crinkled against the soft blankets as she lay curled on her side, bundled up warmly to her neck. She was so comfortable but could tell from the way her back side was a bit drafty that Joker was no longer in the bed. Her eyes slid open slowly as she yawned only to find that The Joker was sitting across from the bed in an arm chair, his chin rested on his fingers as he sat reclined with one ankle propped up on his other knee. His long rifle was rested across his lap with his other hand draped over it.

She was not sure why at the moment, but Jayde gasped slightly at this sight; he was wearing all of his makeup again, done perfectly. His purple pants looked clean and pressed, and although he was not wearing his coat, she could see it draped over the back of the chair behind him. He grinned that evil grin and Jayde felt some sort of old, sinking, dreading feeling in her stomach that she had not experienced in nearly a week. She stayed put in the bed, clutching the blanket around her; 'The Joker' was back.

He stood up from his chair, looming over the bed but let the grin fade slightly when Jayde stifled a whimper into the blankets, backing away from his hand as he reached out. Joker stood up straight, a look of slight confusion on his face as Jayde stared up at him with an expression in her eyes that he had not seen in a while; he instantly recognized it as fear. He decided to ignore this at first.

"Get up and get dressed. We're leaving in thirty minutes." He said in that soft, clowny voice over his shoulder, now moving towards a table where Jayde noticed a large map laid out. She watched him go, knowing it was stupid to suddenly be slightly scared of him again, but the whole day before, he had been without the makeup and so much had happened between them. Jayde supposed she had just gotten used to his bare face and the somewhat gentle attitude that came along with that persona. They had made love last night, there was no denying that, but as Jayde stood up from the bed, staring at The Joker's hunched shoulders, looking over the table, she could not imagine that this was the same man.

She dressed quickly behind him, watching him the whole time even until she walked to the bathroom mirror to do something with her hair. Her fingers were pushing a couple bobby pins in to pull the front curls back when her eyes met his in the mirror over her shoulder but she looked down quickly, nibbling on the tip of the pin between her teeth.

Joker frowned openly at this point, looking back down to the map of Montana where several red circles and little notes made appearances, denoting particular places. This was not fair of her. He had been so sweet to her the night before and now, she was treating him like a disease…like a _freak_. When she turned, Joker stood up straight, watching her over his shoulder as she passed him, kneeling to push several articles of clothing into her bag. Jayde could feel his eyes on her and when she heard his shoes on the carpet moving closer, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Joker," she began, standing with her back to him. A moment later, she gasped as he turned her quickly with his hands on her arms, shoving her backwards until her back met the wall of the hotel room with a thud. Only a second in time passed here where their eyes met in some deep, flustered gaze before Joker leaned down, kissing her lips hard. This caught Jayde off-guard and she was about to push him away but she responded just as fervently when her body slowly recognized the soft feel of his lips and that familiar scar brushing against her bottom lip. A grin finally found her face against his mouth and she sighed, bringing her hands up to wrap around his neck as she rose onto her tip toes. He may not look entirely the same, but those lips…she could not forget those.

Joker pulled away after a few seconds, opening his eyes while his hands slid under her hair, lifting her face as she looked up at him. He was scowling at her, glancing from eye to eye.

"It's me, Jayde."

This was all he needed to say before Jayde smiled, glancing down at his vest as her finger reached out to touch his tie and a wave of that old, familiar cologne hit her senses. She nodded, glancing back up.

"I know."

Joker matched her smile before he stepped away, walking over to the table where he began folding up the maps to push them into an envelope. Jayde watched him do this from her place against the wall until he walked over, slinging the bags over his shoulder before he looked to her.

"Grab that rifle and let's get lost. I want to make it there by at least three." He explained gruffly but grinned to himself when Jayde obeyed, grunting slightly when she realized how heavy the gun was. He made it look so light!

"Where are we going now?" she asked, following him outside as Joker fished the keys out of his pocket, thumbing through them until he could unlock the trunk.

"Billings." He answered only to turn when he felt Jayde's energy change.

"W-what? W-why?" she asked, following him around the side of the car to the driver's side until he stopped, turned and placed his hands on her shoulders. His red, painted scars stretched into an excited, evil grin as he stepped closer, tightening his grip with his fingers.

"You and I, dear Jayde, are goin' _hunting_."


	22. 300

Although it had appeared, as Jayde watched Joker get inside the car, that they were leaving, he got back out a moment later, a cell phone in one hand, a notebook and pen in the other. She followed him back toward the hotel room, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes trained on the gravel. It was the worst possible case scenario come true. Jayde had no idea how she couldn't have just assumed that he was taking her to Billings, but she also had no idea why she did not object just then when he told her. Joker was a couple steps ahead of her and had Jayde not looked up when she did, she would've walked right into him, her nose hitting somewhere around his armpit.

"I have to call Dotcom before we leave." He explained as he could obviously sense Jayde's confusion and when it only deepened with his answer, he sighed, opening the door to let her inside before him. "He has access to my computer at home and I need him to look something up for me." Jayde nodded, sitting down at the edge of the bed while Joker sat in the arm chair, propping open his notebook on his knee. He frowned at the phone while he dialed, then pressed it to his ear, clicking the pen.

It must have rang several times before Dotcom answered and Joker's clowny voice greeted him. "Well, _hellooo_…" he began, grinning at Jayde who could practically hear Dotcom rolling his eyes through the phone. "It's your boss speaking…Have ya missed me yet?" he asked in a falsely, dreamy tone before he grinned evilly, trying to hold in a snort of laughter into the phone when Dotcom sighed before he replied a deep and monotone, forced 'Yes'.

"Dotcom! There will be plenty of time for sentiments when we get back." Joker snapped as he continued with a serious face, clicking the pen again, sitting up determinedly. "So, go hack into my computer because I _assume _you're at home, yes?" Joker raised his eyebrows, looking off, waiting for his answer only to nod when he must have said 'yes'. "I need you to pull up all the information you can on the 'Third Reich'." Joker paused again before he closed his eyes slowly, grinding his teeth. "…Dotcom, why the _hell_ would I call you, rather urgently, for information on Hitler's Nazi regime?" he actually paused for an answer and Jayde was positive had Dotcom been there, he would have been slapped for his lack of common sense, although Jayde did not know what Joker was talking about either.

"No, this not a history lesson." He snapped, talking over Dotcom who had launched into some sort of stammered response to his previous question. "I'm talking about Thomas Reicher's crime ring in Billings, Montana, so _creatively _titled 'The Third Reich'," he explained with a generous roll of his eyes. "…Make it happen."

Jayde watched the pad of paper as Joker began scribbling notes a few moments later, including numbers of what appeared to be dates and locations, followed by a list of several names. She could not read them upside down nor in his messy, slanted hand writing but Joker kept scribbling notes, silently, listening to every detail of what Dotcom told him. His eyebrows furrowed several times, wrinkling lines into his makeup as he bowed his head, looking down at the paper.

Several minutes of this passed before Joker sighed, leaning back, clicking the pen. "Alright, so they're definitely still around then? If I get to Billings and find out Thomas Reicher has been dead for a year or two, I'm coming back to Gotham for _your _head on a platter…_Understood?" _ Dotcom must have agreed through the phone as Joker smirked. He paused as Dotcom said something, then rolled his eyes, closing the notebook to stand from the chair.

"Fine." He finally said before shutting the phone, tucking it into an inside pocket of his coat. Jayde looked up at him as he walked back over to the door, holding it open, staring at her expectantly. "Your faggot says hi." He put simply, nodding his head toward the open door into the parking lot, watching as Jayde walked passed him, grinning.

When Jayde returned to the car from dropping off the room key to the front office, she sat down next to Joker, who was sitting there, staring off through the windshield, biting down on his bottom lip pensively. He continued, apparently not even noticing Jayde until she reached out, patting the back of his hand lightly.

"Still with me?" she asked, grinning when he jerked, blinking.

"Yeah," he replied, changing gears to pull the Corvette out of the parking lot and out onto the road, taking an immediate left back up onto the mountain highway.

Twenty minutes later, Jayde's eyes were sliding shut on their own accord as her mind drifted off every few minutes and her head swayed sleepily as she fought to stay awake. For nearly ten minutes, she battled sleep, bearing in mind the whole time that it was just barely nine in the morning. However, after her eyes slid shut, her mind drifted away, and her head rocked to the side, banging against the window with a loud 'thunk', she moaned softly, frowning when Joker burst out laughing.

"I've been waiting for you to do that for _ever._" He chuckled, glancing over. Joker frowned sarcastically as Jayde tried to keep a grin off her face and yet look hurt all at the same time. He clicked his tongue as he reached across, pulling her head closer until it rested on his shoulder. "Just go to sleep and quit tryin' to knock yourself out, kiddo." Jayde obeyed, sighing against the material of his blue, hexagon patterned shirt, grinning when Joker's hand slipped off the gear shifter and onto her knee.

Time, this morning, was passing particularly slow and when Joker looked down at the clock radio in the car, saying it was only eleven, he sighed heavily, glancing down at Jayde on his shoulder. Her head had slipped a bit, falling slightly further down his arm but still, she slept soundly. Joker was guessing that Billings was only three or so more hours away from them but that seemed like forever to a guy who was easily six foot three and cramped into this tiny car like some tall man in a clown car at the circus. Joker snorted to himself as he fleetingly pictured two large, bent knees coming out either side window on either side of a clown stuffed into an over-tiny car.

Another hour later, Joker glanced down as Jayde took a deep breath, stretching her arms out as her eyes slid open. For a moment, she stared out the passenger window at the scenery, her hair pulled back behind her ear and as Joker looked over at her, he finally realized that Jayde looked the most gorgeous when she first woke up. Either from a nap or first thing in the morning, her lips would be swollen and puckered, her eyes somewhat droopy and yet glazed over in what could easily be mistaken as a seductive glare that arched her eyebrows perfectly, almost giving her a Hispanic appearance, were it not for those bright blue eyes.

Joker was about to say hello when she turned abruptly, grinning sleepily at him watching the road, as she leaned over to kiss his shoulder through his shirt gently. "Thanks." She cooed in her cute, sleepy voice. "You're a great pillow." Joker's scowl faded into a smirk slowly.

"I aim to please." He replied as Jayde fiddled with his fingers, still rested relaxed on her leg. She could see small, light, raised scars on his knuckles that she ran the tips of her fingers over, frowning down at them until Joker must have noticed what she was looking at. "Those are from teeth." He explained, grinning when Jayde's eyes shot up to him, wide. "I fought a lot as a kid." He added a moment later, shrugging. The car fell silent as Jayde again stared down at his right hand, exploring every detail of it, wondering what horrible things or maybe even incredible things it had done over it's twenty-six years of existence. There were rough calluses on the palm of it in certain areas and yet in others, it was as soft as a baby's, his fingers long and yet proportionate. A moment later, she looked up at him.

"Joker, how many people have you killed?" she asked rather out of nowhere and from the frown on Joker's face, she could tell it had caught him slightly off-guard. He had no problem answering, however.

"Two hundred and nintety-seven."

Jayde tried not to gasp right out loud and instead, blinked hard. "D-does that include the cop yesterday?" she asked only to continue staring at the side of his painted face when Joker grinned, nodding.

"I keep count of every single one." He explained, glancing over at her only to grin wider at her completely staggered expression. She blinked again, looking away momentarily.

"Well, how long have you been counting?" she asked, almost not even wanting to hear the answer once it was out in the open but it was too late.

"Since I was twelve."

The car fell silent again for a much longer, drawn out period of time until Jayde took a deep breath. "So how far are we from Billings?" she asked, gazing out of the window again at the trees that passed them, obscuring from view, the steep hills just on the other side of them, leading down into deep valleys. In one sense, it was refreshing to be in Montana again. It had been over a year and a half since Jayde had seen anything that even remotely resembled a snow-capped mountain or green, luscious valleys. However, once they moved into her hometown, she knew it would not be so relaxing and nostalgic.

"Probably only about an hour, I'm guessing." He replied easily as if the thought did not disturb him although to Jayde, it was horrible news. She wanted to be brave for Joker; she knew how badly he wanted to find this man for her. However, what small amount of courage she felt at the time was flickering and fleeting like a candle's flame in a breeze. It was only a matter of time before it went out and began smoldering slowly.

Normally, Jayde was correct on a lot of things she predicted for herself, although when the car passed the 'Welcome to Billings!' sign an hour and a half later, Jayde could never have foreseen the smile that found her lips. True, it was hard to see it again, but Jayde finally realized that she was actually home again. Audrey was here somewhere and the notion that Jayde was no longer a thousand miles away from her and her hometown felt the slightest bit comforting. From beside her, Joker was scowling at their surroundings, glancing over at Jayde as he noticed her take a deep breath.

"Ok?" he asked. Jayde exhaled, nodding confidently.

"Yeah, actually. I'm feeling good. I guess I'm sort of excited to be back here. It hurts, yeah, but…" she paused, looking down at her lap where her hands sat upturned. "Will you let me go see my best friend while we're here?" she asked hopefully, finally looking back up at him. Joker paused, leaning back deeper into the driver's seat as he put that pondering scowl on his face, squinting at the road before them.

The pause before his answer was killing Jayde and she was practically bouncing in her seat in anticipation when Joker finally replied. "Possibly. If you behave and we get this done in a reasonable amount of time, then…_possibly…_" Jayde smiled, looking away to grip his fingers a bit tighter in her lap.

Several minutes passed, driving through the outskirts of the capital city of Montana, through suburban neighborhoods, shopping plazas and restaurants until they began driving under overpasses loaded with traffic and rushing cars. Tall buildings loomed ahead of them through the mid-afternoon haze in the distance; Jayde never thought she would see the Billings skyline from this direction again.

"_So, _since you lived here and all, how 'bout you tell me where I'll find a cheap, non-descript hotel, hm?" Joker requested, looking out through the windshield up at a tall museum next to them as they sat at a redlight, waiting for several families to walk across the cross walk in front of the rumbling Corvette. Joker grinned, ignoring Jayde's answer, as a family with three young children, one in a stroller, walked a bit _too _close to the car for his taste. He revved the gas, causing the car to absolutely roar, skirting forward a couple inches toward the family that had all jumped, the three kids immediately screaming shrilly. Joker laughed loudly, waving through the window at the mother and father who had turned to glare at him behind the wheel. He sighed wistfully with a grin a moment later. Truth be told, The Joker missed Gotham so much and the fun trouble it allowed him to have. Montana, Billings, this…place seemed foreign to him and he was beginning to realize how much he disliked not knowing where everything was.

When Joker looked over at Jayde once the family had walked on, he found her staring at him blankly with a slightly disapproving look on her face and his lips curled into a slow, cheeky grin. "What?" he asked in a voice that plainly explained that he had done no wrong and his grin expanded when Jayde rolled her eyes. "How 'bout that hotel, hm?"

"We'll have to go across town to the south side. It's pretty ghetto down there so I think one of those will have to do."

The car had just bounced onto a street called Central, lined with run down apartment complexes, beaten up hotels, shady gas stations when Joker sighed. "Ahh, this is more like it." He commented, smirking.

"Yeah, I figured this would work better for our…uh…objective?" Jayde put hesitantly at first but blushed when Joker laughed once, patting her leg.

"Getting in the spirit!…I like it." He exclaimed, turning the wheel to pull into a small, ten-room motel tucked behind a gas station and an old car wash. From here, the routine began again and once Joker had handed Jayde another set of twenty dollars bills, he climbed out, glancing around in the shade of the over hang on the hotel. This time, he needed all the bags he had brought with them and as Jayde began walking back down the outdoor hallway toward him, Joker glanced up, swinging a few of them over his shoulder with ease. "Grab those last two." He commanded, but watched from the corner of his eye as Jayde reached inside the trunk, only to grunt loudly against the bag filled what seemed to be solid lead. It thudded to the ground outside the car, leaving Jayde to stand there, half-bent, looking slightly stupid; she could not even lift the damn thing. She had a feeling Joker had done this on purpose as he walked over, grinning in a very amused sort of way.

Finally upstairs, with the bags all set down in their room, Jayde walked over to the bed, sighing as she plopped down on it, watching as Joker immediately unzipped one of the heavy bags to reveal it was full of several different sized guns and boxes of ammo, grenades and knives. Jayde rolled her eyes, laying down on her back. _That_ would be why she couldn't lift it. From the bed, she could hear Joker pulling the guns out one by one, disassembling them piece by piece to set the heavy metal parts down on the wooden table with a dull 'thud' each time.

"Jayde, c'mere. It's time you had a gun lesson." Joker said, glancing over as Jayde rose from the bed halfheartedly with a quiet, agitated groan, only to squeal when he slapped her leg. "Lose the attitude." This was all he needed to threaten before he pulled her onto his lap, forcing her to sit on one of his knees, wrapping one arm around her to reach the table. He pointed first at a large, silver and black handgun. "This is my favorite gun and it happens to be one of the few of these that was actually mine." Jayde looked back at him.

"Versus…"

"A prize from a kill." He explained, but did not elaborate and simply cleared his throat, looking back to the large gun. "It's a Desert Eagle .50 caliber. This is the one I'll have on me, while _you_ get…" He leaned down to the side, reaching into the bag again, producing a much smaller, black handgun. "…this one." Joker held it out in front of her as Jayde reached out, touching it lightly. "This is a Colt 1911 A1, semi-automatic." Her hands took it from his, balancing it gently between them. It was not too heavy and fit her hand perfectly as she gripped it. A strange sensation in her stomach fluttered up at the feel of the cold metal in her hands and Joker's cheek rested against her arm as he watched her fingers admire the gun. He knew she was going to use it, even if he had to make her, and that's what was beginning to worry Jayde.

"But, besides you making me kill that guy in Gotham, I don't even know how to use a gun." She replied, turning to look at him again only to find he was grinning as if he knew something she did not and his eyes slid up from the gun in her hand to her face.

"Well, it's your lucky day!" he exclaimed, thumping her rather roughly on the back. "I'm the most qualified teacher money _can't _buy."

For nearly an hour, Joker and Jayde sat there, discussing the different parts to a gun, how to fire it and not shoot herself in the process which, according to Joker, was easier to do than it seemed. Fourty-five minutes into the lesson however, Jayde grew tired of sitting up on Joker's leg so she lay back against his chest somewhat on her side with her knees rested over his other leg. Her forehead met the crook of his neck and although she was still watching him clean the guns with a soft rag, her eyes were growing heavy but Joker did not seem to mind her position. Her eyes slid shut finally after Joker had seemingly finished his 'lesson'.

"Are ya falling asleep on me?" he asked quietly in that soft, clowny voice a few minutes later and Jayde shifted, squirming slightly.

"Hmm…I think so. You're awfully comfy." She replied, grinning against the shoulder of his shirt as he scooted down a bit further in the seat, lifting one ankle to prop it on his other knee while he pulled the wooden table a couple inches closer.

"Alright…but don't you dare drool on my shirt." He added a moment later, tapping the barrel of an unloaded, partially disassembled gun to her temple lightly.

While Jayde napped, Joker somehow managed to lean far enough to the side of the chair, without waking her, and had pulled the black notebook to him, flipping it open to find his most recent notes. The information Dotcom had given him had definitely been beneficial in the sense that Joker no longer had to just start asking around, spending more time, working his way into the underbelly of criminal life in Billings to find this one guy, who may have moved on by then. Dotcom had provided him with all the proper names, where they were said to be staying or working, now all Joker had to do was a little _hunting. _ He sure hoped Jayde was getting her rest during this little nap of hers. She would most certainly be needing it.

Joker finished cleaning his weapons and started assembling them, having done this so many times that his hands moved on their own accord, finishing each one in no time. His mind was busy as well, trying to formulate some sort of plan, although this contradicted Joker's very mentality. He had no need for _plans,_ being that he honestly, hardly even knew where to begin in this strange new city. He did know, however, that he wanted Jayde to be with him every step. Being that she was the only person who had ever showed him such an amount of unconditional affection, he wanted to give this back to her, to help her retake this city as her home. Jayde would no longer have to run from her past and he wanted the same sort of carefree attitude that he had himself for her as well. It was such a foreign concept to him, helping another person. His rough hands moved over the barrel of his Desert Eagle, sighing deeply. He could not make a habit of this, although the more he thought about it, the more Joker realized that all this was not just for Jayde, but for himself also. The Joker was too involved at this point, too motivated and he had a feeling that even if he and Jayde were to never see each other again and Thomas Reicher was still alive, he would make it his personal mission to hunt him down.

Glancing down at his watch, Joker grunted as he stood up abruptly, dropping Jayde to the carpet with a dull thud, where she groaned loudly, squinting.

"What the fuck?" she nearly shouted in her half-awake state but gasped a moment later, when Joker's gloved hands grabbed her wrists, pulling her to her feet with a bit more force than necessary.

"It's time to go, so put your game face on." He explained, picking up his gun that was now polished, free of finger prints, and loaded before he tucked it into the back of his pants against his vest. His coat was draped along the foot of the bed and as Jayde stood there, slightly dumbfounded, she watched him apply it. A yawn split her face as she brought her hand up to stifle it, only for Joker to smack her hand, causing her to hit herself in the face. "You're gonna have to change your clothes, preferably into something a bit darker." He said, now standing in front of her with his hands on his hips, staring at her bright yellow shirt expectantly until she moved to get her bag.

Jayde shook her hair back from her face as she pulled on a black, long-sleeved shirt with her dark jeans only to find Joker was now standing at the door, holding it open, staring out into the nighttime, scowling at the gently falling rain. "Uh-oh, it's raining. Guess we can't go…" she tried, grinning sheepishly at Joker as he turned that scowl in her direction before he marched over, grabbing her arm.

"Now, that's not the attitude to have!" he exclaimed in his sing-song, clowny voice as he dragged her toward the door and out into the hallway, pausing only to lock the door behind them before they continued down the stairs. Out from under the breezeway, the cold water from the sky touched their faces at first like tiny falling pieces of glass as the wind blew in sharp gusts every few seconds. The parking lot was practically empty as they trudged out into it, Jayde watching Joker a half-step in front of her, glancing around, squinting in the rain. She wondered vaguely if his makeup would start to run after a few minutes, but she figured a moment later that Joker would have made sure his makeup was fairly waterproof.

"So what are we supposed to do first?" Jayde asked a few moments later, hopping ahead a step to keep up with his long strides, frowning at the purple Corvette as they walked right past it and onto a dark side walk running along the side of the hotel. For being in a new city, it certainly seemed as though Joker knew exactly where he was going and she followed, practically trotting in his wake to keep up.

"Gotta steal a car." He answered as though this was common knowledge and Jayde was just about to ask where on earth they were going to do that when Joker stopped next to a large, black, delivery van, placing his hands in the shape of a parenthesis against the window to peer inside between them. At this point, Jayde just figured that Joker knew exactly what he was doing and decided it would be a good idea to just follow blindly, not ask too many questions. She stood to the side as Joker pulled a large knife out of his pocket, sliding it against the window, into the rubber molding, down into the door of the car where he jiggled it, searching for some hidden mechanism.

Several clicks could be heard inside the door, just under the sound of the rain and as Joker pulled the door open, hopping into the passenger seat to climb across into the driver's, Jayde glanced around, although this back alley parking lot seemed perfectly deserted. At the mouth of it, she noticed a police car speeding by, splashing up previously fallen rain-water and couldn't help but grin at the obliviousness. Her attention was torn back to the van as she heard a great 'POP' from inside. Joker apparently, had just yanked the plastic cover to the steering column off and now had wiggled the ignition out of it's place. He peered at it interestedly for a few moments until he reached into the wires, doing something with his hands that Jayde could not see. Moments later, the van roared to life and a twangy country song came over the radio as Joker grinned triumphantly. Jayde had to admit, she was not the least bit surprised that Joker knew how to break in, hot-wire a car, and steal it all in under three minutes.

As Jayde climbed into the passenger seat, Joker was turned, looking into the van after he had pulled out a small flashlight. The back was empty save for a few boxes and this seemed to be just what he had been hoping for as he grinned, pulling the van into gear to back out of the alley. It wasn't long before Joker pulled his small black notebook from one of those mysterious pockets of his and as it fell into Jayde's lap, she looked up at him.

"Open it and tell me where I'll find that first area. I think Dotcom said it was 6th and Hines." He explained and once Jayde squinted enough to read Joker's messy writing, she looked up at the road.

"That's down in the Straights," she began. "So turn left at this light."

Fifteen minutes later, the van slowed as Joker and Jayde turned into the shabby, run-down neighborhood that Jayde could remember her mother specifically telling her not to go there after a certain time at night. She grinned; so much for that. The apartments here were practically one on top of the other, so close together that nearly six of them could be squeezed into one moderately sized building. Clothing that was no longer the slightest bit dry swung from outdoor laundry lines, fluttering in the wind from the rain. Some front porches held people sitting on them, some illuminated by porch lights, some dark and even haunted-looking. Joker was driving slowly at this point, staring around at everything with widened, keen eyes.

"Dotcom told me she was last staying down here-…" he began but paused when Jayde cut across him.

"W-wait, we're looking for a girl?" she asked incredulously, looking up at him as Joker glanced over, frowning.

"Yes, and? She holds the same sort of answers a man would and she was one of the people known to be in his little '_criminals anonymous'_ group." He mocked, pulling the van off the road, behind several dumpsters at the back of one of the buildings. "So let's go make us some _friends, _shall we?" he climbed out of the van after flashing Jayde the craziest smile she had ever seen. As she trotted after him through the dark, Jayde realized why Joker was walking so quickly and after a moment of thinking about it, she began to feel like she was about to get something of a treat. Joker's killing was a much fantasized topic in Gotham, being that anyone who really experienced it first-hand never lived to tell the tale. So Jayde felt as though being his shadow, as it were, was like watching the behind the scenes of her favorite movie.

He seemed much more tense, more jittery than normal and as she struggled to keep up with him again, she groaned, trotting forward a few steps, grabbing his arm. "Geez, Joker, slow down." She murmured as Joker glanced up at a top window on the apartment, spotting a light on where a room with several young people seemed to be buzzing with activity. _There's a start._

"Your legs are too short. Walk faster." He grunted.

The front of this particular apartment was dark and shadowed by several trees that dripped heavily on them as they walked up the front walk, trotting up the steps to the door. It led them into a dim hallway at the back of which stood a flight of stairs, leading to the upper apartments, where low, thumping music could be heard from one of them. Joker wasted no time in going upstairs, apparently figuring that where there were people, there were answers.

Apartment number five was blaring it's music through the walls but Joker did not bother knocking and instead, merely backed up a step before bringing his foot up to kick the wood next to the knob hard, throwing it wide open as slivers splintered to the shaggy, musty carpet. As he stepped inside, Jayde followed, her eyes falling to his lower back as he pulled out that large gun. The scent of something Jayde vaguely recognized as the smell of burning marijuana met her nose the instant she had stepped inside behind Joker who had, by now, stepped into the living room, immediately quieting the laughs of it's inhabitants.

The two young guys sitting on the couch looked up with wide eyes from the large bong they were sharing only for one of them to choke on the smoke in his lungs as Joker stepped into the light.

"Hiiii…" he said in a low, raspy voice, grinning as he lowered his gun to his side. "Don't mean to, uh…_intrude, _but I was wondering if either of you gents could tell me where I might find Miss. Amy Black…_See, _I need to talk ta her about somethin' small-…" Joker would have gone on, but a high pitched, shrill voice from the other room called out, giggling.

"Yo, that's me!" she cried, stepping into the room with a huge, doped grin on her face only for her droopy eyes to widen slightly when she spotted the tall man in an all purple suit, his face painted into some grotesque smile standing in her living room. "W-who…W-wha-?" she stammered, eyeing him up and down apprehensively but before Joker could say anything in return, the two guys on the couch jumped up, advancing toward him. A moment later, Joker's arm came up as his thumb cocked back the hammer of his gun, aiming at them. He grinned.

"Now, boys, we were _just _getting somewhere, so let's not do anything _stupid_, hm?" his eyes shifted back to Amy who was now looking completely sober and petrified. "_Sooo, _if you come with us, I'll let them live." He took a step closer, lowering his head to smirk at her. "If you _don't…_then all three of you die." Amy's eyes, outlined with black eyeliner, slid across the room to her two friends before she looked back to The Joker, nodding her blue, blonde and black-haired head.

"K-kay." She finally answered before Joker nodded his approval, walking over toward the girl to grab her arm in a very tight, vice-like grip. He then moved her toward the middle of the room, in front of him before he raised the gun again, firing one shot, before another, killing both of the guys he had just promised to spare. He giggled through his nose as Amy screamed but they were already moving toward the door, back out into the hallway. "You just said-" she began in a loud exclamation over Joker's laughter.

"Ever heard of a _joke _before?" he asked, but when she failed to answer as he pushed her down the stairs in front of him, he shook her slightly. "No? Ah, that's a shame. I'm _really_ funny." Jayde couldn't help but roll her eyes with a grin behind him.

Outside, it was still dark and raining and it seemed Amy Black was finding her tongue. "Where the fuck are you taking me?" she asked. "Who the fuck are you? And who the fuck is she?" Her head twisted around, glaring at Jayde over her shoulder, trotting just the way Jayde had to keep up with Joker's strides. He clicked his tongue, 'tsk'ing at her.

"Such foul language for a lady." Was all he murmured before they had reached the van and Joker was pulling an old familiar set of silver handcuffs from his deep, coat pocket, however this time, he tossed them to Jayde. "Link her up, will ya?" he asked, letting go of her arm momentarily to slide open the van's back door while Jayde obeyed, linking one side of the cuffs tightly around the girl's wrists before the other. When she had finished, Joker shoved Amy into the back where she fell onto her side with a loud 'OW!' before he climbed in after her. "You're driving. Take us somewhere a little more private." He instructed quietly while he took a careful seat on top of Amy's back, sighing as he leaned back to get comfortable, crossing his ankles out in front of him.

Joker had left the van running so as Jayde pulled it out from behind the dumpsters, it rumbled faintly in the rain. She could hear Joker humming to himself behind her while Amy grunted, struggling and she grinned again to herself as she could imagine that same scenario happening to her not even three weeks prior, although it practically felt like an old memory. There were many 'private' places in Billings but after she drove for only five minutes, she found a large semi-truck loading dock that seemed perfectly abandoned, so she pulled in, parking the van near the back of the long building.

Amy fought and kicked Joker the entire way to the first dock, her attempts stirring up the gravel on the ground, nearly tripping Jayde several times and as the girl screamed for what seemed like the one-hundredth time, Jayde swung her hand back, slapping the back of Amy's head hard. "Stop." She commanded, glancing up at Joker as he looked back at her, smirking.

After he had pried open one of the tall, metal doors to let it slide up along it's track, he pushed Amy inside until he could find a light switch, illuminating a long room stocked nearly full of boxes. His hand was searching in an inside pocket as Jayde watched from the shadowed back wall of the room before producing a small roll of duct tape. A flimsy metal chair stood against the wall across from Jayde so as Joker motioned to it, she brought it over, backing away again to stand in the shadows as Joker pushed Amy onto it. A strip of the tape bound her ankles to the legs of the chair.

"Now that we're all nice and cozy, how about you start by telling me about your ties to this 'Third Reich' I've heard _so _much about." Joker began, leaning down slightly to be in Amy's line of vision where she glared at him.

"I don't know nothing about the Third Reich so _fuck _you." She spat quickly only for Joker's gloved hand to make contact with her face so hard, the chair she was taped to rocked to the side.

"_Watch._ That. Language." He growled, reaching into his pocket to pull out a knife before he shed his coat, holding out to Jayde who stepped forward to take it from him. "I don't think you're telling me the truth Amy." He stepped back over, leaning down again as he flicked open the knife. "And if _you_ tell me the truth, _I _ will set you free." The girl took a deep breath, sliding her tongue out to flick her piercing in some strange sort of tick as her eyes glanced up at him.

"The Third Reich is old news. Most of it's members are dead and if there are any left, they all work for _him_." she finally answered in a low voice. Joker stood up, moving behind the chair now, circling her slowly.

"Him? Would you be talking about Thomas Reicher?" he asked, tracing the dull tip of the knife along her shoulders as he walked behind her. She remained silent so Joker stepped in front of her again, leaning over. Jayde could see him frown as he moved even closer to his face, seemingly looking at her lips. "Oh, I see the problem," he began, rolling his eyes. "I think this thing inhibits your speech." Came his voice before he reached up, yanking that piercing from her lip, splitting the surrounding flesh. Amy screamed as blood poured down her chin. "Now, let's try this again, yes? Tell me about Thomas Reicher."

The girl panted, closing her eyes. "I can't. He'll kill me." Joker stood up, glancing around at the dim surroundings.

"W-well, I don't see him here anywhere. So I tell you what, either he'll kill you later, or I'll kill you now." He paused, looking at her eyes. "Wanna try again?" Amy licked her split lip and Jayde noticed small beads of sweat working up on her forehead, despite the rather chilly temperature in the warehouse.

"He's got some huge company now out of Billings. I don't know what they do, but he's the CEO or something." She answered, hanging her head, only to grunt when Joker lifted her chin sharply.

"CEO? A felon?" he probed further, watching as Amy shrugged, looking away.

"He's bought off the whole town. Everybody knows his name. When he went away for that gun charge stint, he handed his business down until he got out." she finally began to explain but Joker was not finished.

"Does he have any _friends? Acquaintances?" _ he asked, only to giggle when Amy shook her head, hanging it so low her chin practically touched her collarbones. He stood again and Jayde watched with growing interest as he moved to the back of the chair again where her hands remained handcuffed behind her. He took one in his glove, moving her fingers until they sat across his in a manicure style grip. She was too far away to see in detail what he was doing but as Amy burst into a shrill scream, arching her back off the back of the chair in pain, Joker cackled. The knife dug under thumb nail a bit deeper as she struggled, forcing more blood from underneath.

"Amy, Amy, now, I _know _you're lying this time. So tell me…" he began, scooting closer to the back of the chair to speak in her ear over her shoulder. "Who are his _closest_ friends?" After only a mild pause, he shoved the knife under further, taking her screams up another level.

"M-Matthew Defalco." She panted, whimpering when Joker withdrew the knife from under her thumb nail only to place it at the tip of her pointer finger.

"More…" he urged her on, sliding the tip of the knife ever closer, each second she hesitated. Her chest was heaving as sweat now dripped down her face, sticking some of her shoulder-length hair to her forehead and neck.

"Uh…" she began, squeezing her eyes shut. "Johnny-…Johnny Whit. He's with him."

"Where do they stay?" Joker asked, pausing for Amy's scream as he went ahead and pulled her pointer fingernail completely off, tossing it behind him carelessly. Her bound feet scraped uselessly against the concrete floor as she struggled against the chair.

"Off fifty-sixth!" she screamed, letting her head fall back as she panted in pain. Jayde shifted her weight from one leg to the other, clutching Joker's coat against her as the anxiety in the room felt as though it were about to consume her completely.

"Now, I may be a humble foreigner to this city, but I'm fairly certain fifty-sixth is a _pur-etty_ big street. Any details?" he asked, yanking another finger nail off. Amy screamed again, sobbing as tears finally began splashing down her cheeks, causing her thick eyeliner to run down in black trails against her now stark-white cheeks.

"Building…" she forced out. "T-the huge building with the slanted roof…his office."

"What does he do?' Joker asked, prying her fingers open again as she tried to squeeze shut her hands and for her insubordination, he ripped off another nail, this time, her pinky. Amy screamed the loudest she had at this point, now crying hysterically. Jayde had to admit, she found it funny how only twenty minutes prior, this girl was a ball of fire with her cocky attitude and loud, obnoxious voice and was now reduced to nothing but a sniveling, weak mess of blood, sweat and tears. She had not answered in time so Joker stood up again, grabbing a tight fistful of her hair as he stood behind her. "HM?" he urged her on, rocking her head to both sides forcefully.

"I don't know!!" she bellowed. "P-please, I don't know." Her voice changed to a whimpering plea. Jayde noticed her face relax slightly when Joker released her hair a bit, stroking it softly as he leaned down a bit.

"Shh…sh, sh, sh…" he cooed and Jayde felt her stomach clench up slightly as she recognized the calming factor in his voice that he was so good at using when it was just she and him. "I believe you..." he added, pulling her hair to tilt her head back, but a moment later, another short scream came from Amy before she gurgled when Joker's knife dug into her neck, cutting it open from ear to ear. Jayde stifled a gasp into Joker's coat that she had brought to her face at some point, as if hiding behind it. He was doing something with his back to her, but once he was finished, he spun the chair around so Amy's lifeless, bloody body, now complete with a carved, horrific smile stared over at Jayde. Her eyes slid up to Joker who was grinning the most evil and yet satisfied smirk she had ever seen as he held the knife at his side, dangling from his bloody glove.

"Now, _that's _how it's done."


	23. The Devil And A Gentleman

**Author's Note: **Ok, fine…I admit it. I stole a scene from Brokeback Mountain, I'm sure those of you that have seen it will recognize it. I did not take the words or even the emotion but I took the circumstance. So enjoy and let me know what you thought!

After The Joker had pinned a dancing Joker card to the body, he had pulled the chair across the long room to the middle of it so that the next morning when the trucks pulled in, Amy Black's dead body would be the first possible thing to see.

He and Jayde had trudged through the now pouring rain to the van, where it sat, still running, waiting for them, and were now sitting in the front two seats, silently staring out through the windshield as water cascaded down it in thick sheets. Joker's makeup had started running slightly during the walk in the rain and he shook his head like a dog moments later, flinging water everywhere. When he stopped, he licked his lips, turning to Jayde.

"So,…Uh, I _think _you were just about say how much fun you had…" his eyes rolled slightly and he squinted, searching for his next words. "…and how _grateful_ you are that I did all the work for you…Am I right?" he asked with a smile, cocking his head toward her. Jayde grinned but did not nod her head yes or no.

"It was interesting, Joker, I'll give it that." She paused, watching Joker pull the van out of the empty lot and back toward the main road. "It was kind of like…watching a scary movie in real life." Her eyes drifted out the passenger window as her mind replayed images of Amy's torture. "It fascinates you and you don't want to watch, but something about it keeps yours eyes wide open, like you _can't _look away." A brief silence followed her words but Joker began laughing beside her, for several long moments, as if what she had said was truly hilarious. He did not comment. He simply laughed.

Jayde frowned at her surroundings through the pouring rain several minutes later when she noticed that Joker was definitely not going the way they had come. She glanced up at him.

"Where are we going?"

Joker took a deep breath, leaning back in the seat slightly. "To 56th street, we gotta go find this Matthew guy." He answered as if Jayde was supposed to have known that already but he looked over at her, arching an eyebrow when her mouth fell open slightly.

"Tonight? Really? It's already almost midnight." She argued but continued on when Joker opened his mouth to protest. "You know you're tired too, Joker. You drove for a long time this morning, so…listen!" she raised her voice over his when he tried to cut in. "We _just _got here and we've gotten this far so soon. So _I _think we should just go back to the hotel and get some sleep." The whole time she was explaining herself in practically one breath, Jayde had been backing away from Joker slowly in her seat until by the time she stopped, her back was practically against the window…just in case he decided to swing out that long arm of his. He did not and instead, looked over at her, glaring slightly.

"Fine, but I'm doing this just because I want to now, not because you told me to. Just so we're clear." He said, holding up a finger to emphasize his point. Jayde grinned, moving to sit in her seat again and stare out the window past the rain.

Twenty minutes later, Joker had found his way back to the hotel and replaced the van in the lot behind it, but Jayde had to pause after a couple steps to wait for Joker who had stayed back to drop something into what appeared to be the gas tank. He was catching up a few moments later, grinning to himself.

The hotel room was just as they left it, with all the guns lying on the floor around the table, Jayde's yellow top discarded from earlier and as Joker took off his heavy, water-logged coat, it fell over the back of the chair. His eyes wandered up and down her briefly as Jayde stripped off her black, long-sleeved shirt and a moment later, he had taken two steps toward her where his hand slid behind her back, warm and soft against her damp, cold skin. He grinned when she shivered, looking up at him to let a small smile play with her mouth. Joker's free hand met the un-stitched side of her face, his thumb brushing along the side of her cheek before his lips met hers gently. Jayde rose up slightly on her toes, meeting his kiss more fully however, Joker pulled away a few moments later, only to turn abruptly, and grab the pack of cigarettes to step outside.

He had not said one word, nor did he need to. Jayde understood in some oddly respectful way that Joker needed his personal space at certain times and it seemed he kissed her that way during those times so that when he left her standing there to go be alone, it was like some unspoken apology. She was learning his games, slowly, so she grinned to herself, after the door had shut behind him, before going to the bathroom for a shower.

When she emerged, possibly a half-hour later, after warming herself back up, Jayde found Joker sitting on the far end of the bed, his shoulders hunched as he looked down at something in his hands. His shirt and vest had been shed, leaving him in a white, wife-beater tank top and his purple pants, the suspenders down and laying uselessly on the bed, either side of him. His wet hair was green and stringy as it hung in his face. She could not help but grin as the light in front of him cast a rather creepy, mysterious glow on him with his back to her.

Crawling across the bed toward him, she sat up to her knees just behind him, letting her hands slide onto his shoulders. He had been holding his gun loosely in his hands between his knees but immediately let his fingers drop it to the carpet at the touch of her hands. His body tensed at the initial touch but relaxed slowly until he rolled his head to the side when her hands slid around him onto his chest, underneath the white cotton. Jayde smiled, moving closer to rest her chin on his shoulder lightly.

"Thank you for what you did, Joker," she began softly, letting her lips press against the curve of his neck although she did not kiss him, but let her next words come against his skin. "…not making me hurt that girl." Joker grunted a quiet laugh.

"Don't mention it." He replied, his eyes sliding shut as he brought his hand up to grip her arm loosely. Her hands continued to travel slowly along his skin, up his chest, over his collarbones, down his shoulders and upper arms, down his back and up again, repeating this lulling pattern until Joker felt her lips touch the back of his neck where green curls ended. One of his scars twitched as he smirked, tilting his head to the side gradually as her kisses traveled around his neck, up until she made it to his jaw where she nudged him affectionately with her nose. She grinned from over his shoulder when Joker turned his face, his eyes half-lidded and sleepy as he opened them to gaze at her, that smirk expanding to show a few of his teeth.

His hand came up a moment later, pulling her face closer to press his lips against hers lightly. It did not last long, however, before Joker's face practically fell into Jayde's, turning as it slid down and a loud, fake snore came from his chest. She laughed, falling backwards on her ankles as Joker went completely limp against her until he was practically on top of her, seemingly dead asleep. Jayde giggled from underneath him, blowing some of his green curls off her face but he moved his head a moment later, getting comfortable.

"Great idea, Jayde," he commented sleepily. "…this…coming back to the hotel thing."

She giggled, lifting her head slightly to look down and see Joker's long, lanky body sprawled out. "I told you. But I think you might be more comfortable if you get out of your clothes." She suggested, grinning widely when Joker lifted his head quickly, looking around.

"Right." He replied, nodding, reaching down between his stomach and Jayde's leg to undo his pants button without moving from his comfy place half-atop her. "Sleep tight, kiddo." He grunted once he had kicked the pants off but Jayde giggled again, pushing on his shoulder.

"No, not yet!" she cried softly, grinning when he groaned loudly in agitation. "We have to get under the covers first. I'm going to get cold like this." Her eyes opened when Joker lifted his head, looking up and down her body quickly at her loose towel before he sighed, doing a push-up to be on his knees.

"You are so…" he paused, searching for a word. "..demanding. You know that?" he asked, crawling to the head of the bed to untuck the made up sheets and pillows while Jayde rolled over, smiling at him as he looked down at her.

"Sorry," she replied sarcastically as she slid under the sheets and comforter after him. "I didn't feel like freezing to death, even though…" she scooted a bit closer, turning onto her stomach to rest her chin on the back of her hand on his chest, grinning. "…you _do _make a great blanket." Joker's eyes rolled before his hand reached out, gliding his fingers through her hair so it fell over his stomach, soft and clean against his skin. He eyed the black curls momentarily before he looked back to her eyes, only to find that she was watching him with a sweet grin on her face that almost made him feel like blushing. He smirked, looking away again to his hand in her hair.

Jayde shut her eyes a moment later, finding it hard to believe the gentle, caressing fingers sliding delicately through her damp hair had just rather violently ended someone's life and yet she was perfectly at ease in his presence. His right hand had just, an hour prior, been slicing open a young woman's slender throat before carving a smile into her face and yet Jayde felt no alarm or hesitation at the feel of it now rested gently on the side of her head. His fingertips had begun tracing small patterns against her scalp under her hair and as Jayde sighed heavily, slipping closer to sleep with every movement.

His fingers gradually slowed and then slowed some more until they stopped. Jayde was still just barely awake so she looked up to grin sleepily when she noticed Joker had beaten her to it and was already snoring quietly with that slight scowl on his still painted face. The lamp had been left on across the room so Jayde got up slowly, watching him to make sure he stayed asleep until she got back, the room now dark. The soft blue light from the over head lamp just outside their window cast strange shadows through the room but Jayde was too tired to notice any of them when she climbed back into the bed.

Her place next to Joker was still slightly warm but as she lay down with her back to him a foot or so away so not to wake him, his hand reached out, sliding over her side to wrap around her waist and slowly pull her closer. Her back rested against his warm chest and her rear fit perfectly into the dip of his lap. All this Jayde was admiring about his body and how it molded so comfortably against hers when his hand came up from her waist, under her arm to her neck where his fingers gently curled. Soft, scarred lips touched her ear lightly and Jayde's eyes stayed closed as she took a deep, sleepy breath, lifting hands to come up and lightly grip his forearms. She had to admit, at this point, that she was still only the slightest bit unnerved by the location of his hand around her neck.

"You trust me." He practically whispered in her ear, deeply. She knew this was a question, although the inflexion in his voice indicated no question mark. Jayde's eyes remained closed. She licked her lips slowly, tightening her fingers around his wrist.

"I don't think you'll hurt me." She answered, sighing quietly when Joker's lips touched the back of her shoulders although his grip on her neck remained quite the same: loose but just tight enough to remind her that his hand was there. And in that position, they fell asleep.

The following morning, when Jayde's eyes opened, she found that at some point during the night, she had rolled onto her stomach again with Joker just next to her, surprisingly still asleep. He was rested peacefully on his side facing her and she was just about to reach out and touch him when a loud, rumbling explosion came muffled through the walls, rattling the hotel room windows. She gasped, sitting straight up but grabbed Joker's shoulder a moment later, shaking him roughly. He groaned loudly, cringing at the light, pushing his face into the pillow, as his eyes remained closed while she shook him.

"Joker!" she exclaimed. "Did you hear that?" now rising from the bed, once she was satisfied he was awake, wrapping the top blanket around her to walk to the window and peer out past the drapes. Everything seemed perfectly at ease outside although she could hear sirens in the distance, approaching. Jayde turned to face the bed again when Joker groaned, but remained in place as he trudged over, rubbing one black makeup smudged eye. His hand slid around her waist as he peered out the window as well, behind her, only to laugh his deep, sleepy laugh.

"_Someone _must have started the van." He explained, grinning when Jayde gasped, spinning to look up at him, but rolled her eyes a moment later, turning back to the window to watch police cars now speeding by. _Of course he blew up the van…_ Joker grunted loudly, hanging his head so far, his forehead rested on her shoulder.

"You woke me up for _that?_" he asked. "Damn, girl, I was sleeping so well too…" he whined, grinning when Jayde gave a sarcastically apologetic 'aww', sliding her hand outside her blanket cape to his, rested over her hipbone.

"We could go back to sleep." She suggested, turning when Joker shook his head.

"I cant." He replied immediately but grinned when Jayde frowned up at him. "I know for a _fact _that I can, _and will, _sleep all day long if we go back now. We're up." Jayde sighed, rolling her eyes as she let her forehead fall forward onto his bare chest. "Now, I'm going to go take a shower. I _suggest_ you get dressed." He grinned when she lifted her head to look up at him again. "You're taking me on a tour today!"

One hour and one seemingly pointless discussion later, Joker threw open the door to the hotel room to step outside only to gasp when a blast of surprisingly cold, mountain air met his bare arms, face and neck. Jayde laughed behind him as he turned his back to the door, hunched, staring down at her with wide eyes. "You never told me it got _freezing_ in Montana this time of year, Jayde." He scolded, walking over to one of his bags to lean down and dig around inside it. She shrugged when he moved back to the door, sliding his left arm into a gray, cotton, hooded, zip-up sweatshirt before the other.

"Well, we _are_ in the mountains. It gets cold sometimes." She responded truthfully, trotting down the stairs after him but cocked her head to the side when she randomly recognized that grey, hooded sweatshirt as the one he had been wearing in Starbucks when he came to stare at her, weeks ago. Jayde did not comment but rolled her eyes, grinning, instead.

During their previous pointless discussion, Joker had argued to the death of his point that it only made perfect sense that he should drive, even though Jayde insisted it would be easier for her to show him the city if she were driving. He had won the argument and was now starting the car, grinning to himself. "Which way, m'lady?" he asked, turning to look at her as the car rolled to the exit of the parking lot. She pointed left so Joker turned left.

They drove along through the run-down part of town, silently, since Jayde figured this was fairly self-explanatory. Joker remained quiet as well and she glanced up at his bare face, glad that he had chosen to leave the makeup and purple clothing off for the time being. His green hair was still damp from his shower but the few curls that had already dried hung in wavy spirals along the side of his forehead. She looked away, biting her lip to suppress a grin, back out the window at the passing buildings.

Joker, beside her, was perfectly content in driving nowhere in particular so he made random turns, forcing them further and further into the city, through back streets and neighborhoods. The windows were down, letting that chilly air into the car, although he was not as cold anymore; that first draft had really caught him off-guard. He was just admiring a large, structurally weak barn to the left of the car on the far side of the road when Jayde's voice broke the silence.

"Joker, you're circumcised." She stated as though he did not know this already and although he could think of about five thousand things to say at that point in time, he could not bring the words to his mouth as the randomness of her statement caught him like a sucker punch. He grinned slowly, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, I've noticed." he replied, doing a slight double take at her as they stopped at a red light. He shrugged, holding up his hand. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to say that?…Or…" Jayde laughed, looking away.

"So, you said you were an orphan. But your mom had you circumcised. That tells you _something_." She explained but as Joker continued to gape at her blankly, she felt her cheeks tingling with natural rouge. Jayde turned to face the windshield a moment later when Joker let his laughing go on until his sides practically hurt. He laughed simply because it was hilarious, but also because he had honestly never, ever thought of that.

"So…let me get this straight." He began, giggling breathlessly. "You've been thinking about my dick?" When Jayde's face turned a bit to look at him, her cheeks were bright pink, although she shrugged it off.

"Yeah…I guess I have." She replied and Joker grinned, sliding his hand between her knees to grip one of them.

"_That's_ what I like to hear."

It was not long from then that Joker had finally found 56th street, with no help from Jayde, and the purple Corvette traveled along slowly through early afternoon, inner city traffic. People in sweatshirts and sweaters walked along the street, some looking miserable, some laughing and talking to friends. Joker eyed all of them with a scowl as he and Jayde passed them. Jayde had a feeling, after noting the street name, before they even left, that this was Joker's intention, thus the argument that he drive. She rolled her eyes to herself, but looked up, squinting past the glare, to find that the building on her right was the only one along the strip with a slanted roof and when she peered across the walkway at the entrance doors, the name 'Reicher Enterprises, Intl.' stared back at her in huge, silver letters. Her hand reached out, patting Joker's knee. When she felt him turn his head, she pointed out the window at the slowly passing building.

"Ahh…_There _it is." He growled, but as much as he wanted to go and do this now, get this taken care of right then, he did not have any of his favorite toys with him, therefore he knew he would not have as much fun. It did help to know where it was though.

If Jayde thought Joker had been antsy the previous night, before their little 'mission' to find Amy, that was nothing to how he was that night. He could hardly sit in one spot for more than a few minutes, kept glancing at his watch and out the window at the sky as Jayde figured he was anxiously awaiting darkness. Jayde did nothing but watch him and grin when he wasn't looking. But after an hour or two of this, when it was only late afternoon, Jayde stood up from the bed where she had been trying to fall asleep, immediately walking over to where Joker sat at the table, bouncing his knee. This anxious habit of his normally did not bother Jayde but every time his knee would bounce, his legs were so long and the table so short that it would make a dull thudding noise every few bounces. Standing at his side, Jayde leaned down, placing her face next to his over his shoulder.

"Joker?" she purred, watching his eyes as he read.

"Hm." He grunted in reply, obviously not paying the slightest bit of attention to her yet. Jayde looked down as his knee banged against the underside of the table a few more times so she moved the table slightly to sit on his knee, smiling at him when he stopped.

"If you don't stop bouncing your knee, I swear to _God _I'm going to lose my mind." She promised, raising her eyebrows as Joker's eyes finally slid up to hers, although his face remained completely devoid of expression. They stared at each other for several long seconds like this until Joker slowly cocked his head to the side and began bouncing his knee under her, bouncing her along with it. He laughed a second later, grabbing her hands to fight her off when Jayde made to swing at him, squealing.

Finally, _finally, _it was dark outside and Joker was bouncing off the walls. The last of the light had just barely diminished outside when he walked over to Jayde in the bathroom mirror, tapping her shoulder, continuing even after she looked up at him over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows a second later but grabbed his persistent finger over her shoulder. "Let me guess…Time to go?" she asked, rolling her eyes when he nodded. His other hand snatched her jaw in a tight grip and Jayde gasped, backing up as he pushed her against the sink.

"What have I told you about rolling those eyes at me?" he growled, his eyes darting from her eyes to her parted lips a few times as Jayde stared up at him. He did not look angry and as Jayde watched his brown eyes, he appeared almost conflicted. She would have replied but he leaned down a second later, tilting her face up with his grip on her jaw to kiss her once, lightly, before he pulled away. His eyes opened although he could not meet hers and instead eyed her lips before he turned to walk toward the door. Jayde watched his purple coat tail flap behind him as it closed. It had been quite a while since one of his more extreme mood swings and this one left Jayde more confused than she ever had felt in the past.

After pulling on a black and grey striped, long-sleeve sweater and jeans, Jayde found Joker outside, leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette with his coat closed around him. It was freezing outside and Jayde could tell he was cold, maybe a little unaccustomed to the weather since the chill in the mountains was a different, thinner, more bitter sort of cold. He forced a small grin onto his face as she walked over, sliding her hands into his coat pockets but blinked when her fingers met the bottom where she found a sea of metal and plastic. There had to be at least twelve knifes in there. Her hands retreated slightly and Joker grinned from above her as she looked up at him.

"Is that _really _necessary?" she asked, arching an eyebrow while Joker rolled his eyes upward a bit, sliding his own gloved hands into the pockets.

"Well, I figured I would give you a _selection._" He replied, pulling out all of them in his two hands, spreading them out in his palms. When Jayde's eyes flew up to his uncertainly, he could tell she was about to start arguing so he shook his head. "Nope! I did all the work last night. You're helping with this one. So…" He paused, hunching down slightly to be more at her level as a cheeky grin spread across his red lips. "Pick a knife, any knife." Jayde sighed reaching forward to just choose one, hoping she would not necessarily have to use it but Joker clicked his tongue, folding his thumb over the one she had been about to pick up. "'Cept that one." Her eyes glanced up and he shrugged, grinning. "That one's mine."

The car they 'borrowed' that night was much nicer in comparison to the last one and was not a van, instead a four door sedan with leather interior and _heat; _Jayde had a feeling Joker did this mainly for that feature alone. It was only fifteen minutes after they had left their hotel before Joker and Jayde had pulled into one of the wealthier neighborhoods in Billings and as she looked around at the two-story, large houses, slightly confused, Joker explained.

"While you were being unhelpful and _napping _earlier today," he began, glancing out of the corner of his eye at her. "I called Dotcom who hacked into the Reicher Enterprises online database and found me an address for one Mister Matthew Defalco." Jayde turned her head to look up at him, slightly surprised, to find Joker nodding his head slowly. "_That's_ why I keep him around…" he paused. "May be queer but he's the smartest damn queer _I've_ ever seen." He finished in an off-handed mumble as he watched house numbers and Jayde grinned, mentally high-fiving Dotcom nearly eight-hundred miles away.

It was not long before Joker pulled the car backward into one particular driveway belonging to a rather unwelcoming looking, dark-wooded house. Figuring that this was the part where they got out, she moved to unbuckle her seatbelt and open the door but Joker caught her arm, reaching into the inside pocket of his coat where the purple lining had been pulled away then sewn back up, creating extra hiding spots. His purple gloved hand emerged a moment later, holding out the semi-automatic he had chosen for her. His eyes drifted up to hers from where both of them had been staring at the gun. "This…" his fingers curled around it. "…is for you. …_You're_ going to load it but you can't leave any finger prints or hair. So put these on." His other hand came out from fishing around in his coat, producing a much smaller pair of black gloves, much like his own.

The material was not something Jayde could place although it was the same as Joker's gloves. It was soft but tight and strangely cool against her skin. She was so busy admiring the gloves, she failed to notice Joker holding something else out to her. His eyebrows raised when she took it, looking up at him.

"Tie that rat's nest back." He growled, watching her but snickered when she smacked his arm. Once her thick, curly hair was back in a bun, she got out after Joker, following him around the side of the house, to a low fence that ran along the yard. This did not seem to inhibit Joker in any way as he pulled one foot up to push himself over and Jayde did follow but in a completely different way thanks to her much shorter legs. When she caught up, Joker was at the back of the house, walking quietly toward the back door but glanced over at Jayde, motioning for her to come to him.

He had pulled a small, black device out of his pocket and was sticking it to the door, his finger pressing a tiny button on the side of it activate it. A red light came on and as Joker stared at it, waiting for it to turn to green, Jayde tugged on his coat.

"What is that?" she whispered but tilted her head to the side, watching the light when Joker leaned down, pressing his nose against the side of her head.

"My breaking and entering bug…Disables home security systems." He explained in a quiet, deep voice that would have been just as unnoticeable as a whisper. Jayde nodded, watching with growing interest as the light turned green and Joker pulled some foot-long, thin metal rod from another inside pocket, pushing it into the molding between the two doors and after several slow, quiet attempts, they popped apart almost silently. Jayde had to admit, as they stepped into the house, Joker was undeniably good at this and was the slightest bit impressed until she figured how long he had been doing this sort of thing. If there was a job title for 'Professional Criminal', Joker would own it.

The old house was incredibly dark and the hardwood floors made tough work of sneaking to the stairs, although it was Jayde who was making all the noise. Joker could seemingly put his body and movements on 'mute' while Jayde seemed to step on every single loose floorboard, shrugging at Joker every time he turned to glare at her. After what seemed like fifty stairs, Joker and Jayde had reached the top level where it seemed obvious the master bedroom would be but as Joker moved to walk away, he moved his hand back, touching her leg to signal for her not to follow him. So she stayed put, practically holding her breath as Joker walked from door to door, opening them each without a single sound, peering around the edges until he found what he had been looking for.

Through the darkness, Jayde just barely saw Joker nod his head toward the door but when she reached him, he stopped her, holding out a hand. The other appeared a moment later, holding something that Jayde immediately got a whiff of that made her slightly lightheaded. Joker's nearly silent whisper reached her ear.

"Chloroform." He murmured, placing one of the two, soaked white rags in her black glove. "Find the misses, put it on her nose…mouth…don't take it off 'til she's out." Jayde nodded, following him into the room silently. A sudden thrill of slight panic flooded her as the sight of the master bed, complete with sleeping strangers made her feel as though she really _should not _be there, but Joker was still already moving to who she assumed was Matthew's side. His eyes met hers from across the room in the darkness and for a second, it seemed he could feel what was happening to her as he nodded firmly at the wife, sleeping next to him on her back. Jayde stepped forward, positioning the damp cloth in her hand slightly.

As soon as the cold cloths met the sleeping couple's faces, they both gasped at the same time, inhaling those inhibiting fumes that literally put them both instantly back to sleep. Jayde felt the wife relax into the bed again but waited, letting her take a couple more deep breaths of the chloroform before removing it, along with Joker across from her. He nodded once, sighing.

"Good!" he praised, placing his hands on his hips, staring down at the two motionless, unconscious people. "We'll leave her here and take him to go." Jayde looked over at him, dropping the rag onto the nightstand.

"To where?" she asked, watching through the dark as Joker looked up slowly, grinning.

"I think I know _just _the place."

After Joker had struggled to pick up Mister Defalco and had finally thrown him over his shoulder, they found their way to the front door and had rolled Matthew's body into the trunk, locking it from the outside. When they opened the trunk initially, Joker had 'hmm!'-ed delightedly to find three jugs of gasoline staring back at them, so coincidentally in the car he had chosen. He stood there for a moment, staring at the cans curiously. In his mind, he had already planned how this particular event was going to happen, but he rather liked the way things were starting to look.

When the Lincoln pulled into the old, dirt lot of that dilapidated barn Joker had seen earlier, Jayde heard Matthew's limp, unconscious body rolling around in the trunk as they drove over a rather large bump. She couldn't help but giggle a little. The tall, wide, back doors to the barn were open so Joker backed the car inside it before they both got out. Up, far above their heads as they walked to the back, the soft, eerie fluttering of bat wings could be heard in the rafters of the old barn and Joker laughed a loud 'HA!' at the top of his lungs in the emptiness.

"No BATMAN in Montana!" he shouted, seemingly at the bats, although Jayde was pretty positive he had been speaking in one giant generality. He had unlocked the trunk and was now pulling on Matthew's arm, hoisting him over his back to pull him out but let go, dropping him to the straw and dirt floor. Jayde was staring down at the man while Joker began pulling the gas jugs from the trunk to set them on the ground before he pulled out his small flashlight, walking through the emptiness with the light until he found a small work-station, complete with avils, hammers and axes. These new toys were awfully tempting but Joker had already changed the plan once so he ignored them, grinning when he found a long, coiled length of rope.

Jayde was still standing next to the unconscious man when Joker returned, unfurling the rope to lean down and tie Matthew's ankles together followed by his hands, behind his back, before he tied them together, leaving a small length between them. With the man bound, Joker stepped back, next to Jayde, crossing his arms over his chest with the end of the rope in one of his hands as if holding onto Matthew's leash.

A few moments after this, the man groaned, raising his hand to his face slowly but jumped a second later as it seemed the previous events and the now cold floor came to him in one startling jolt. He raised his head, looking around frantically, struggling to move his bound arms and legs, but stopped when he noticed Jayde and Joker's shadowed figures over him.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked in a trembling voice. Jayde had to admit she was surprised that this criminal who worked for such an evil man was already scared. Maybe he could sense a deeper evil in the room.

"You're on a tropical island somewhere south of St. Thomas'." Joker began dreamily in his soft clowny voice, leaning down slightly. He shrugged a second later. "No…not really." He added as if Matthew had actually believed him and he giggled.

"We've got a little talking to do, Matthew, and see, it's a rather private conversation so I had to get you away from Misses Defalco…" he explained darkly, walking in slow circles around the man who had finally sat up to his knees at this last bit.

"What did you do to my wife?" he asked, his voice suddenly much bolder and louder than before as he struggled to keep an eye on Joker, still slowly circling like a vulture. Joker laughed quietly.

"Re-_lax_, Matthew…" he said, glancing at Jayde from behind him. "Lauren will be fine as long as you…help. me. out." Goosebumps spread over Jayde's skin as she stared through the darkness at Joker. Matthew was practically trembling in anger but as he rose to make a dive at the tall clown in the purple suit, his arm yanked on that rope, tightening the length between Matthew's wrists and ankles, forcing him back into a kneeling position. He grinned, leaning down.

"As I was _saying-"_ he began again rather politely but frowned when Matthew's yell cut across his words.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Joker stood up straight, placing his hand against his chest, indicating himself. "Me?" he asked mockingly. "Well…Let's see…" he began circling again, that pondering look on his face as he glanced at the ceiling, his hands behind his back. "I'm…your worst nightmare." He paused again only for a second, bringing one hand out to twirl a knife between his fingers. "I'm that shadow in the corner of your eye that disappears when you turn around." He wiggled his fingers, twirling once in his stroll. "That feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get bad news?" he grinned. "…That's me!" Standing directly behind Matthew, he placed his hands on his shoulders lightly, leaning down to be on his right side, next to his ear. "I am the Devil." He switched sides, grinning at him over his shoulder. "And a gentleman…"

"_I'm_ The Joker."


	24. A Message from The Queen of Mean

Ho-kay. So.

I need some help, guys. I've decided to put one more sexy-time scene in this story _but_…(and this sounds crazy so just bear with me) I don't know where they should…_do_ it. I try to keep it all different and this time I'm truly fresh out of ideas. And I'm sure there are a lot of you out there who have the creative genius to just sit and throw something brilliant out there. So just share your ideas of what you want to have happen with this last one. You can either 'review' your idea…or if you're shy, you can email me at

Lovely x lady 389 at gmail. com

I just want to know what you guys think and yet get some help too!

Preferably within the next few days here, folks. : D

Many thanks!


	25. Long Awaited Moment

**Author's Note: **OMG guys I am SO sorry about this long wait for an update. Been super busy lately so I made sure to throw an extra long chapter out there. I've already got a few pages done on the next one so…..see ya then…Enjoy…Ohh and PLEASE review. Reviews really do help me keep writing and it's super discouraging to see that over seventy people have already read a chapter that I posted (this one) and I got zero reviews on it. I just like to know what you guys thought so please let me know! Thanks

Jayde's eyes gazed unfocused through the foggy window as the Lincoln pulled away from the back of the barn, billowing dust and dirt up around it. Her ears continued to ring loudly from the sound of the gunshot and her eyes felt as though they were pounding slightly in her skull; she could not have blinked more than three times during the past hour. Her heart was still racing and as she closed her eyes to steady her breathing, images began replaying instantly like a horror movie with no previews.

She could very clearly see, through the blackness of her eyelids, Matthew's sobbing face as Joker hit him for what seemed like the hundredth time but when he moved to fall on his side, to hide his beaten body, Joker yanked on the rope, forcing him to stay on his knees in a submissive position…as if praying. His head had hung so low while blood dripped down his face, that his chin rested on the top of his white tank top he had been sleeping in. He had not given many answers up at which Jayde was not completely surprised. So Matthew Defalco was nearly beaten to death by the time Joker picked up a can of gasoline, uncapped it and poured it all over the bleeding man from head to toe.

His next questions, he forced answers from Matthew by clicking a lighter close to the line of his shirt or to his hair, cackling or even to the drips under his chin, laughing maniacally. Every time the lighter flicked, Jayde tried not to jump and look away, mimicking what Matthew was doing. Finally, Joker had stood up after a couple mumbled, weak answers from his victim and replaced the lighter in his hand with a razor sharp knife.

"_You are a __wealth__ of information, Matthew." _Joker had chimed, now standing at his back, leaned down, using his knife to carve something into the man's hair, tossing small tufts of it to the ground as the man wept openly now in front of him. Joker had not seemed to notice as he hummed quietly until he stepped back from his head, holding out his hand toward it while his eyes slid to Jayde's.

She could remember the sinking feeling she experienced in her stomach when her eyes fell onto the sloppy but defined target Joker had just practically shaved into the back of the man's head. This was when her heart had started racing but she lifted the gun, forcing her mind into a blank static, before she pulled the trigger, ending Matthew Defalco's life.

At the present, Joker's voice pulled her through her reverie back into reality where she could still feel small flecks of now cold, wet blood on her forearms and neck.

"Jayde…" he crooed in that clowny, evil voice. "Do ya know how to find a needle in a haystack?" She shrugged half-heartedly, her eyes still glazed over and unfocused out the window. "Ya burn the haystack." He answered for her when she remained silent and Jayde's eyes slid shut again. She could still smell the scent of gasoline and what she assumed was the stench of burning flesh as she waited for Joker to place his cards all around Matthew's lifeless, flaming body.

Beside her, Joker could hardly sit still. An empowering sense of foolish, ridiculous, _overwhelming _pride flooded his veins like a poison when he looked back on what he had done that night and it made him want to laugh…hard.

Jayde jumped slightly when Joker suddenly burst into manic, loud laughter that doubled him over in the driver's seat, his eyes squeezed shut as he laughed whole-heartedly at both himself and Jayde. Every 'ha' in his laugh was separate and distinguishable and after a few long moments of this, he quieted down slowly until he sighed in content. He reached across to pat her leg a few times, before giving her pressure point a quick squeeze. "You did good, kiddo."

Again that night, just as they had the night before, Joker and Jayde returned the car to the same exact spot he had stolen it from, but Jayde had to argue her point when he pried open the gas tank. She had tried desperately to remind him that this car was _really _nice and that it was kind of unfair to blow it up when they had not done much damage to it. She had even tried standing in front of the gas tank to prevent him from dropping in whatever his home-made tiny bomb was but he scoffed as if offended by her feeble attempt to block him and simply shoved her aside. "Evidence, darling, evidence." He murmured as they walked off.

Jayde's brain was alive and crawling with thoughts when she plopped down into a stupefied trance at the end of the bed and yet she could not think of one thing to say. From the way Joker was moving around her, it seemed he was not looking for any dialogue so all the better that she sit there quietly.

Her eyes had just fallen onto an electrical socket across from her when Joker's face suddenly appeared in front of her and she jumped, gasping slightly. She sighed a moment later, rubbing her forehead as Joker stood to his full height, resting his hands on his hips inside the coat. He wasn't saying anything and when Jayde glanced up to see the expectant look on his face, she figured he was waiting for an explanation of sorts. However, Jayde was not ready to give one yet.

"I'm probably gonna go to sleep…" she murmured, letting her eyes fall onto his purple coat that he was still wearing. "..A-are you?"

"No," he replied before he wiggled his arms, shaking his head. "I'm too…" he never said _what _he was 'too' but he had a feeling Jayde would understand what he meant. She nodded a second later, rubbing her left eye with a balled fist, watching with her right one as Joker turned abruptly to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked before she could bite her tongue; _that_ was none of her business. Joker turned slowly, that thought clearly evident through his expressions although he shrugged a second later, motioning through the now opened door at the chair outside.

"Probably just read for a while." He grinned at her, pointing his finger toward the bed. "You rest your pretty head. I'll kiss you goodnight before I go to sleep." He assured her with a charming smile and with this, he shut the door behind him, although Jayde noticed he did not have his book. Too tired and mentally exhausted to care, she stripped down to just her undies and the tank top she had worn under her sweater and climbed under the blankets.

Her eyes drifted through the dark, moonlit hotel room, over the silhouettes of Joker's large guns leaned against the wall under the window, over the heap of duffle bags piled in the corner, to the table where Joker's book and notebook sat until she finally found the window. A small, glowing red circle rose through the air outside, pausing to glow brighter momentarily before it fell again. It took several moments for Jayde to realize what it was but she finally noticed something past the red dot shift and she recognized it a moment later as the end of Joker's lit cigarette. He brought it to his mouth again after a minute.

Jayde could barely see the outline of his broad shoulders through the sheen drapes, a still, quiet shadow sitting in the chair. His painted face seemed ghostly, two dim, black rings above a red smile that remained completely still until that small red circle reappeared again. Jayde grinned into the pillow when she noticed him turn his head slightly, gazing out at the parking lot from those sunken, black eyes like her protector, her guard dog of sorts. It was, of course, Joker's trademark to be scary, threatening and ominous in a sense, but it was what Jayde was beginning to like about him most. She had always heard that cliché idea that women always loved a dangerous man and it was true; The Joker was as dangerous as they came and Jayde was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

Her mind threw her back several hours to flash an image of Joker standing in front of Matthew, shouting. The harshness and bite to his voice was terrifying to say the least but something about it sent funny little shivers all the way from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and she could not help but be slightly enthralled watching her '_friend'_ do what he did best. Never before could Jayde consider the sight of a tall man who's hands dripped with blood, clutching a knife, slightly breathless, as attractive. Now, she found it downright _sexy._

Jayde had watched him for as long as she could, her mind wandering aimlessly now, over the night, over the previous night, over the previous weeks but when the air conditioning flipped on, she frowned, half-asleep, into the pillow. It had to be at least forty degrees outside the hotel and as freezing cold air blew over her bare arms and back, she rose from the bed, groaning. She had thrown her sweater carelessly away from her when she had taken it off earlier so in her search of the dark room, when she found Joker's grey, zip-up hoodie sweatshirt over the back of the chair, her hands faltered while she fingered the material. Glancing through the window, she could still see him sitting there watching the parking lot but she shrugged a second later, pulling it from it's place to slide her arms into it.

The material was thinning and wearing away in areas but felt perfectly warm against her skin as though he had just been wearing it. Jayde's knee folded beneath her when she sat back down on the bed, bringing either side of the jacket to her nose, inhaling deeply – gasoline, cologne, a twinge of cigarettes and a vague scent that was uniquely Joker's. This forced a grin onto Jayde's face before she lay down, still taking deep breaths of the scent, allowing it to pull her away into sleep.

The scent of something warm, caressing and sweet tickled Jayde's nostrils the following morning, stirring her from a bizarre dream to reveal a brightly lit hotel room, aglow with early morning sun. Her eyes creaked open to fall onto the other half of the bed where it appeared to be in the same position it had been the night before when she fell asleep. She frowned a second later, squinting at the sunlight as she brought her hand up to shield her eyes.

Across from the bed, at the table near the window, sat the Joker, his legs stretched across and rested on the chair opposite him. He was writing something in that black notebook of his, chewing on his bottom lip with his eyebrows furrowed. Jayde watched him for a moment, noting his outfit change into jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt he had pulled up to his forearms. His makeup had been removed and his socks changed to one neon green sock and one neon orange sock.. Jayde sighed audibly from the bed, tearing his attention from his scribbling. His eyebrows relaxed when he realized she was awake and he blinked a few times, grinning at her.

"Hi." He put simply, twirling the pen between his fingers as he leaned back.

"Hi." She mumbled in reply, burying herself down further into the blankets, hiding from Joker the fact that she was _actually _inhaling the scent from his sweatshirt like she was huffing glue. Joker's eyes slid past her to the nightstand on the other side of her. The end of the pen stopped twirling to point toward it as his eyebrows raised. When Jayde turned over to look, she gasped with a delighted squeal at the warm, toasty cup of coffee waiting for her, in front of a tissue pastry bag. Her hands slid around the cup as she sat up.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked a second later, but Joker frowned, holding his hand up to cup his ear in her direction.

"Eh? I'm sorry? I could've _sworn_ I just heard you say 'thank you' but I might be-…" he said and Jayde laughed before setting the cup down to crawl across the bed and climb onto his lap, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Joker." She purred, grinning when he brushed her off to start writing again, although he did not push her off his lap. "So you didn't sleep?" she tried again a moment later, watching his left hand's fingers as he wrote small, indistinguishable words with that black pen. His head shook slowly from left to right several times as his eyes focused on the pad of paper.

"So you never came and kissed me then, huh?" she probed, still watching his hand but looked up when she felt his eyes slide up to her. A teasing grin stretched her stitches as Joker looked over toward the bathroom.

"Go look in the mirror." He said, nodding with his head in that direction until she stood up, walking over, only to laugh when she noticed that one side of her face was covered in red, puckered kiss prints. When she walked back over, Joker had settled into a different position that inhibited her from sitting on his lap, so she sat across from him on the bed, reunited with her coffee. Her head slowly cocked to the side when she finally noticed that just a second ago, he had been writing with his left hand and had now switched to his right, thus putting him in that new position. She frowned.

"Joker, are you left-handed or right-handed?" she asked out of nowhere but the randomness did not seem to throw him off too badly this time compared to her other off-handed comments. He clicked his tongue, shifting slightly.

"Ya know what _am-bi-dex-trous_ means?" he answered, with a condescending question only to smirk to himself when she remained silent.

While Jayde sat against the head board of the bed, munching on the bagel he had brought her, she glanced at the coffee cup, frowning. "So, what exactly did you do all night?" she asked him after several long minutes of silence. Joker sighed, setting the pen down as though her question had finally pushed him into irritation. His fingers linked together over his stomach as he leaned back in the chair.

"Well…" he took another deep breath, rolling his eyes to the ceiling slightly. "If ya really wanna know, I killed Thomas Reicher's family." He had stated this as though he was telling her about an eventful night out on the town with a group of buddies. While Jayde's chewing faltered, Joker continued, not giving her a chance to butt in. "_Then, _I robbed some old guy for old time's sake." Joker gave a small chuckle here, his eyes glazing over wistfully as he then brought his hands up to link behind his head. "_Theeen, _I went and bought you breakfast." He paused, before leaning to the side, grinning cheekily. "Aren't I just the _greatest?"_

Jayde did not answer immediately, but instead looked down at the half-eaten bagel in her hand before she put it back in the bag, suddenly not so hungry anymore. Her stomach churned as she looked over at Joker who had gone back to writing. It made perfect sense for him to do all of that while she was asleep, thinking he was outside watching out for her. Matthew had given up Reicher's address the previous night and not long after it, a strained explanation that Thomas Reicher was in New York for the week and would be returning the following day. Jayde did not know how she didn't put two and two together when Joker said he wasn't going to sleep.

"Did he have kids?" she asked, surprised to even find that her parents' killer had a wife, much less any descendants. Part of her sincerely hoped he didn't, but the feeling she got when Joker's knowing eyes slid to hers, twinkling with malice, was nowhere near discomfort- more like a thrill of hardened vengeance.

"Three."

Jayde's eyes fell to her hands, laying over the sheets in her lap before she looked back over at him. His eyes were fixed on her as though studying her reaction although she tried hard not to give one.

"How did you…do it?"

Joker's lips slowly parted into a sinister grin before he rested his chin in his hand on the armrest of the chair. "I stabbed them all to death in their sleep."

Jayde exhaled loudly, her eyes again falling to her lap but a second later, a small grin worked it's way onto her face. That was why he had left her there. Joker knew that although Jayde was slowly hardening herself to the things of his bloody, chaotic world, watching him stab three children to death in their sleep might have pushed her over the top. Just the thought alone was enough to make her partially sick but Jayde's mind was slowly forming on the idea that when Thomas Reicher returned home, he would find his own family the way Jayde had found hers after he had left that night. Her grin expanded as she looked over at Joker.

"Thank you." She muttered, watching his face as he smiled slowly, nodding his head. A moment later, his finger flicked up in the air before he flexed it a couple times, beckoning her over.

"C'mere." He grunted in that clowny voice, his eyes falling onto his notebook. When Jayde reached him, having crawled across the bed, he reached out, forcing her to stand before he tugged her down onto his lap. His hand settled on her knees. "Do you think I'm crazy?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slowly as Jayde gazed at his eyes, hoping to see past his question to the real meaning he was so obviously hiding. Her lips cracked into a small grin a second later.

"No," she paused, shaking her head. "I don't." Jayde had been half-expecting some gentle brush of his hand or an affectionate action of some sort, but Joker instead slapped his hand on her legs, grinning wide.

"Good!" he exclaimed. "Me either." Jayde stared at him as if waiting for him to continue, although he did not, but continued to stare up at her. She blinked, licking her lips to turn and sit more fully on his lap, practically facing him.

"So…" Jayde began slowly, staring at his shirt for a moment. "You…don't feel any sort of guilt?…For all those people you've killed? You just don't have a-…a conscience?" Joker's eyes squinted slightly before his lips smacked.

"If that's what it's called, then no, I don't. And ya know," his hand reached behind his back before reappearing, holding a small, silver pistol. His thumb cocked the hammer before he brought it up quickly, pressing it under her chin, lifting her head so her eyes gazed at the ceiling. "I could blow your brains outta your head right now and not feel a thing." His voice lowered. "I would leave your lifeless body laying right here in Billings, Montana and go back to Gotham, _unscathed.._" Jayde's heart hammered frantically against her ribcage as he pushed the gun harder against her chin. She could feel hot, stinging tears gathering at the corners of her eyes at this thought and when she blinked in an attempt to wash them back to where they came from, one slipped down her cheek, onto Joker's wrist.

"But you…" he growled. "Oh, _you_…You've got me wrapped so tightly around your little finger, it's getting kinda hard to _breathe_, Jayde." He sat up slightly, his finger unarming the gun before he dropped it to the carpet. "But lately, I've been getting this…" his eyes rolled, searching for a word as Jayde finally looked down at him. "_persistent_ urge to suffocate. And if I had to feel remorse for one thing, _just _one teensy little thing, it would be getting involved with _you_. 'Cuz now I _can't _hurt you." He paused, searching her eyes. "Even though I really want to sometimes." He added a second later.

Jayde paused, looking down at her hands rested on Joker's stomach and although his last words were highly unsettling, she grinned past it. "You can't?…or you _wont…" _she asked a second later and looked back up to surprisingly find a smile on Joker's face.

She was too damn smart for her own good and that was partly what Joker liked so much about her. Jayde noticed everything from blatantly obvious things to tiny, minute details that normally would have been overlooked and it seemed she looked at everything from a different perspective. He sighed, staring at her eyes.

"Wont."

That afternoon, even though Jayde kept telling him he looked exhausted and that he really should take a nap, it took a long time before Joker finally gave in, again insisting that it was because he wanted to and not because she told him to. Jayde just rolled her eyes at this behind his back, crawling up onto the bed where he had just lay down on his side. Her knees folded under her as she sat 'indian-style' next to his waist and Joker sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

"See? You're going to feel so much better tonight when we go out." she told him, grinning when he slid open one eye to look up at her. It closed again a moment later as he smirked smugly into the pillow.

"Say, you wouldn't want to be an angel and scratch my back, now would ya?" he asked after several seconds of silence and Jayde grinned goofily; it was about time. Her hand reached out as Joker rolled onto his stomach, groaning when her nails raked down the middle of his back, slowly. Jayde's eyes followed the gentle pattern her fingers were making until she decided she would rather feel his warm skin, so she slid her hand underneath his long-sleeved t-shirt to glide her hand along the curve of his spine. He groaned a bit more loudly at this into the pillow and Jayde grinned when she noticed his neon- socked toes curl slightly.

The room was silent for several minutes, no sound save for the low rumbling of the air conditioner and the occasional horn honking outside. Joker had not fallen asleep yet as Jayde did not hear his signature growling snore but she had practically stopped scratching his back and was now lightly fingering a two or three inch, raised scar on the left side of his spine. Her mind was roving aimlessly along and as a thought popped into her head, she blurted it right out.

"Joker, what happens when we get back to Gotham?" she had been wondering this for days now, since she didn't necessarily consider herself his 'captive' anymore. In one train of ideas, it seemed only logical that she go back to the mansion with him and they continue on from there, but at the same time, it also seemed only right that he let her go back to her life, even if she did not entirely want to. He took a deep breath, resting the side of his face on his arm to look up at her from his position on his stomach. From the way he hesitated, blinking up at her, Jayde could tell he had not even thought about it yet.

"Well, I guess you'd be free to go back to…whatever it was you were doing." He replied, frowning slightly. No…that didn't seem right at all. "After all, I _did _abduct you and frame you with murder. I'm surprised you're even still here, to be honest." He finished with a slight chuckle as his eyes slid shut. Jayde's hand stopped moving and she brought it out from under his shirt slowly.

"But.…What if-…" she paused, trying to calculate how stupid she was about to sound. "What if I wanted to stay?…with you…" her words fell out of her mouth one on top of the other and she fought hard to keep her cheeks from burning pink when Joker's eyes opened to gaze up at her. When he did not immediately reply, she carried on quickly, looking down at her hands in her lap. "It-It's just that…I know you're like…a criminal…and all that…" she paused, glancing at his face to find he had started smirking; she looked away again. "But I kinda feel like you're…" for lack of better words, she went on, hesitantly. "..that 'best guy friend' I've never had." The inflexion in her voice rose at the end of this statement as though it were a question and Jayde practically cringed in embarrassment when Joker smiled understandingly, reaching out his hand to slide onto her knee.

"Jayde-" he went to speak but she cut across him, shaking her head, feeling as though she had just told her crush in high school about her deepest feelings for him.

"I mean, if you don't feel the same way, we can forget about-"

"Jayde." Joker interrupted her a second later, his voice a bit more firm as he struggled to get her to focus. "I feel the same way." He assured her, nodding his head with his eyebrows raised. "Hell, _I_ don't want you to go back and I'm fairly certain neither does Dotcom." He shrugged against the pillow, watching her face as Jayde began to grin. "Plus, since Grizz is gone, we'll be needing a new…uh, 'roommate' as it were." He grinned cheekily, biting down on his bottom lip, sliding his hand a bit further up her leg as his eyes followed it. "But I think we'll have to do some reevaluating on the sleeping arrangements." Jayde giggled, taking his hand in hers to lay down on her stomach next to him, sighing.

Joker's brown eyes blinked placidly back at her as Jayde traced the line of his tattoo around his wrist, following the movement of her finger with her eyes until she met his gaze and smiled. He licked his lips, lifting his head to readjust before he looked back to her.

"So, you wanna be best friends then?" he asked a few moments later, staring blankly at her as Jayde's fingers faltered on the back of his hand and she grinned, nodding her head. His finger lightly traced the curve of her nose as her eyes shut and like that, they fell asleep.

It was dark outside when Jayde woke, turning onto her back to look behind her where Joker had been several hours prior. Of course, he was not there and was instead, standing at the sink, brushing something from the lapel of his purple coat, having just pulled it on. The white makeup on his forehead had creased from the way he furrowed his eyebrows with that scowl and Jayde could not resist the smile that crept onto her face as she approached him from behind.

Being that Joker was so tall, he did not see Jayde walking up behind him and jumped when her hands slid around his waist where she hugged him, pressing her cheek to his back. He relaxed a second later, rubbing her arms. "You ready to go, miss lady?" he asked, grinning at her in the mirror as she stuck her face next to his arm. "Mr. Reicher should be getting home soon." Although, truthfully, Jayde was not ready, she nodded none the less, lifting her chin when Joker turned to place his fingers under it. His eyes searched hers silently before he grinned slowly. "Smile." He demanded quietly, grinning further when she obeyed. "Alright, now let's go."

This night had to be special, Jayde observed when Joker got into the Corvette, starting the engine with a loud roar. Normally, she would have asked, but Jayde could pretty much just assume that Joker was going all out on this particular occasion. His hand met her knee once she sat in the passenger seat although when she looked down, Jayde noticed he was holding 'her' small, black gun. She would have sighed when she took it, but resisted, figuring if things went according to plan, this night would be the last of their killing spree.

The car ride was silent except for the light splashing of water when they turned or sped up. Apparently, it had rained while they were napping, leaving the roads wet, slick, and reflective. Joker's eyes glistened as he gazed out through the windshield at the road before him. There was something so glossy and doll-like about his eyes at this moment and Jayde had to snort a laugh to herself when she imagined a Joker action figure.

Ten minutes later, when Joker stopped the Corvette on a side road in the middle of downtown Billings, Jayde took a deep breath as she stepped out, glancing around.

"Hopefully…" Joker began, striding over to her as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. "He wont be here yet. I think we should have the family ready to greet him, wouldn't you agree?" he asked in a rather proper sort of voice, taking her hand to place it under his arm in the crook of his elbow. "Let's have a stroll." Jayde gripped his arm as they began walking, slowly along a street lamp lit path.

They remained quiet, simply watching cars pass them on the slick streets, walking in sync until they reached the front door of a brownstone-type apartment, complete with planters under the window sills and steps leading to the front door. Joker paused here as if he suddenly recognized the address of a friend and he turned sharply, tugging Jayde along with him.

"Ah…Here it is." He murmured, grinning wildly as he stepped up to the front door which opened, unrestrained by a lock, when he turned the knob. Jayde figured he had left it unlocked the night before. As she stepped inside, Jayde could openly feel a heavy presence in the dark house that seemed to suffocate and hang through the house like a fog. Joker was mumbling beside her, in so quiet a voice, it seemed he was talking to himself.

"_First…_I went upstairs and stabbed the wife..." he murmured, now climbing the stairs gradually, gazing upward as he pulled Jayde along behind him by the hand. "_Then…_I went and stabbed the littlest girl." He led her past a closed door on the right toward the end of the dark hallway. "Then, the older brother." His hand raised, a finger pointed toward a closed door on the left. Jayde swallowed hard, trying not to imagine what lay on the other side. Joker was giggling quietly. "Then, his _beautiful_ eldest daughter, Shayna." The closed double doors at the end of the hallway creaked open when Joker pushed them, sliding sideways through the crack. "Stay here." He murmured a bit more loudly to Jayde.

She stayed put, peering through the door's opening where she could vaguely make out Joker's looming shadow in the dark room, moving toward a bed. When he came back, Jayde could distinctly smell what she recognized to be stale blood and placed a hand to her stomach, looking away when Joker reappeared, carrying the dead Mrs. Reicher in his arms.

"Let's put her downstairs at the table to greet her husband."

Downstairs, Joker half-turned in the dining room, glancing to see if Jayde had followed but jerked his head toward the chair at the head of the table when he spotted her. Jayde instantly knew what he wanted so she pulled the chair away, holding onto the back of it as Joker slowly lowered the petite woman in his arms onto it. She had to shut her eyes when Mrs. Reicher's cold, blonde hair swung back off of her shoulders onto Jayde's wrists and she jerked them away, walking over to Joker.

Jayde knew in the very farthest reaches of her mind that she wanted to look and although every fiber in her body was telling her not to, that she would regret it, she turned anyway, only to falter, her eyes falling onto the corpse at the table. The blonde woman's face was cut into a smile much larger than Amy's or Matthew's had been, practically reaching her ears and the tank top she had been sleeping in was almost entirely stained with dark, red blood. Her eyes were open, gazing soullessly at the chandelier as the house fell completely silent; an eerie, dead silence.

Joker had just turned to go back upstairs, undoubtedly for the kids, but a yellow light flew across the dark wall, bouncing slightly through the window and Jayde gasped when she realized the car had just pulled into the small, luxury driveway outside. Her eyes flew to Joker who nodded his head in the opposite direction, down another dark hallway, away from the front door. Jayde slipped inside a bathroom before Joker who followed, pulling the door so he could hold it open a few inches to hear.

Through whatever obscure moonlight they had, Jayde's eyes found the glistening whites of Joker's and at her waist, she could feel his hand reach out and lightly touch her. She gazed at him through the blackness, reaching down to wrap her fingers around his forearm.

"Do exactly what I tell you, ok?" he whispered, raising his eyebrows. Jayde could see the black rings around his eyes the clearest of anything and they stretched as he nodded, slowly. Jayde copied him, pulling her gun from the back of her jeans. She was ready for this. It had been long enough and as Jayde sat there, waiting for Thomas Reicher to walk in and find his dead wife, a trembling, rabid sensation ripped through her. Her hearing was growing slightly fuzzy and her insides practically vibrated in anticipation.

Both seemed to stop breathing when the front door opened and a man with a very familiar voice to Jayde called out "Guys?! I'm home!" Joker bit his lip to keep from giggling and ruining the surprise as the hallway light flipped on, followed by one of the most panicked, horrified screams Jayde had ever heard in her life. He positively wailed and Joker and Jayde heard a soft, dull thud on the rug over the hardwood floor.

Joker emerged from the bathroom into the light, slowly, stealthily while the man sobbed on his knees down the hall from them. Jayde was following Joker as quietly as she could, holding her breath even to keep from breathing too loud. Her hand curled tightly around the gun as she grew close enough to Thomas' back to see the small tattoo she had noticed on his neck the night of the murder and it took a lot of strength not to just pull the trigger right then; he was mourning and she was enjoying it. Her eyes flew to Joker, who was reaching behind his back, under his coat, to pull from it that huge, silver Desert Eagle. When he touched it to the back of Thomas' nearly bald head, the man jumped but instantly quieted and froze.

"Hello there." Joker rasped, lowering the gun slightly. "We've been expecting you…along with Misses Reicher there." He knelt down slightly, lowering his voice as he pointed over Thomas' shoulder at her with the gun. "Doesn't she look _happy_ to see you?" After licking his lips, he proceeded in a slightly winded voice that trembled with his words. "Oh, and your kids…they look _thrilled.." _He snickered as Thomas' sobbed before his voice tore from his lungs.

"What did you do to my family?!" he screamed, practically convulsing with anger as he cowered on the floor with his back to Joker.

Joker gasped as if offended by the question, then began scornfully. "Thomas, I didn't do anything _you_ wouldn't have done." He replied, his lips stretched into that foul, awful grin as he reached forward, letting his hand slide almost caressingly into Thomas' hair before he snatched a handful. "I mean, am I right?" Joker's hand moved quickly to the side, yanking Thomas' head so he was looking toward Jayde who did nothing but stare back at him. Joker watched her gaze into the eyes of the man who ruined her life and in that gaze of hers, he could see little bits of himself. In the features of her face, her eyes held his wrath, his unstoppable fury and pure loathing while they glared at the man that killed her parents.

"You don't recognize her…do you, Thomas?" Joker crooned in that clowny voice walking over to step behind Jayde, resting his hand on her shoulders momentarily to pull her hair back away from her face gently. He took a deep breath, glancing from Jayde to Thomas, still cowered on the floor in front of them. "This is Jayde, Thomas. You killed her parents two years ago…in case you forgot." Joker laughed, stepping out from behind her again, tossing his hands slightly. "Oh, trust me, I know….They start to all look the same after a while, right?" he had moved toward Thomas again and was leaned down slightly, peering at him almost interestedly. Joker did not wait for Thomas to agree with him, but squinted slightly, licking his lips as he loomed in a bit closer.

"So, tell me…" he began in that higher pitched voice, but it dropped with his next question. "Why did you kill them?" Joker stood up, tucking his gun away into his pocket for the time being as Thomas remained on his knees. "…Oh, it was probably because you had so much to lose…Your company, your _business alliances_…" he had stopped walking and was now standing in front of the knelt man, grinning. "_Or…_Was it because of your cowardice, your lack of common sense…" his head cocked to the side slightly, that grin expanding. Thomas jumped from his position on the floor a second later, shouting in some war-like growl of a yell as he made to swing at Joker or tackle him. He easily avoided this, swinging one leg out hard to kick Thomas back several feet, to give himself just a second to pull that metal baseball bat out of his coat. Jayde's mouth fell open slightly but tried hard not to gasp when Joker swung as hard as he could at Reicher's legs, shattering both of his knees. He screamed in pain, falling onto his side to tenderly clutch himself from the pain.

A second later, with Thomas mildly subdued, Joker brought back out that massive silver gun, but used the barrel to pistol whip the man so hard, his head swayed above the floor and Jayde was not sure he would stay conscious. However, when Thomas rolled onto his stomach groaning, Joker kicked him again, in the ribs.

"It's really impolite to keep interrupting me, Mister Reicher!" Joker shouted and as Jayde watched him from across the room, she shivered, staring at his eyes as they slid to hers. As she stared back, in his gaze, she could tell he was ready for this to be over. His eyes were narrowed, focused solely on hers with a hardened expression in the cold depths that plainly said he was tired, maybe even a little bored with the whole situation, since Thomas was proving to be a rather unentertaining victim. It seemed after finding his wife dead and learning that his family was too, Thomas Reicher had given up caring what happened to him. Joker glanced down at the sobbing man before he stepped away towards Jayde, sliding a hand into his pocket, when several things happened at once.

With Joker blocking her vision of Thomas, Jayde failed to see Thomas Reicher roll over, unlock his briefcase and pull out a tiny handgun until she heard the click of a gun's hammer from the other side of Joker, who now stood right in front of her. Joker must have heard the click as well, as he turned, but jumped only slightly when the gun in Thomas Reicher's hand fired and seemingly in slow motion, Jayde saw the bullet skid past Joker's elbow and pierce his side. He gave no reaction whatsoever besides a soft hiss through his teeth, rocked backward into Jayde a little and raised his arm a split second later, firing his own fifty caliber gun. One of the massive bullets shot from the end of it and practically tore apart one of Thomas' thighs, causing him to cry out and land on the floor, the gun he had pulled from the briefcase sliding across the carpet away from him. He sobbed, but through his tears, came a loud, slightly deranged- sounding laugh.

"FUCK, had I known you were gonna hire a freak to come kill me, I would've made sure to kill you too." He panted, laughing breathlessly as his eyes glistened up at his hunters. "Probably should've just finished it all anyway." He added a moment later, and a great and terrible sensation that Jayde had never experienced before tore through her from her brain, all the way down. Her hearing went fuzzy for a few moments, leaving nothing but the sound of her own breathing and her rather frantic heartbeat. Her eyes only had to glance slightly down where she saw Joker's hand outstretched to her, a long, sharp, silver dagger resting on the soft glove as if he known exactly what she needed. And with that, Jayde did not even think twice before she snatched the knife and tore across from the room, positioning it upside down in her grip so that when her knees landed on either side of Thomas' waist, it was the easiest possible grip for plunging the knife straight down into his chest. Warm blood immediately met her fingers at this first stab wound, but Jayde's mind was a blank static.

Her arm came back only to fall again, driving that knife in again, this time over his ribs…and again in the middle of his stomach…and again in his neck. She stabbed and stabbed until she felt her eyes watering and finally a loud sob escaped her when her eyes finally fell onto her completely red, blood-covered hands. Yanking them back, she pulled them to her chest, trembling with what she had done as she gazed over Thomas Reicher's now dead, mangled body. His face was untouched, not a fleck of blood on it and as Jayde stared at his dead eyes now, she felt like he should be smiling; she did not know why.

With the left over pulses of adrenaline still left in her body, Jayde's foggy mind allowed her to lean forward, stick the knife in Thomas' opened mouth and drag it sideways, splitting open his cheek, before she copied on the other side. When she finished, Jayde rose off the body, trying not to fall back down again. Her knees trembled hard so she made quick work of dragging Thomas' body to the table where the last of that adrenaline helped her push his body up to sit in the seat across from his wife at the dinner table. Jayde had just stepped back to admire her work and take a deep breath when she looked up to find Joker walking toward her, his eyes focused on hers, narrowed in a glare. At first, to Jayde, he appeared angry but when he stepped over the blood pool to slide his hand behind her neck and kiss her roughly, Jayde gasped against his lips, leaning into him.

His tongue was immediately in her mouth and Jayde moaned against his lips in response, however, when she reached out to grip his arm, her fingers found a warm, wet spot. She gasped, pulling back from his kiss only to find her fingertips coated in his fresh, red blood; he had been shot and she completely forgot about it in her haste to slaughter Thomas Reicher.

"Oh my god, Joker! C'mon, we gotta go-…" she began frantically, tugging on his arm toward the door only to pause when he laughed loudly.

"Oh, so where are you gonna take me, the _hospital?…_The…_emergency room?" _he reached to his side, only to wince when he stuck his finger through the hole in his shirt to the wound underneath. "It's not that deep. I'll be fine, but you gotta get the round out." Jayde was so busy trying to get him out the front door that after a few long seconds, she finally realized what he had said and frowned.

"Wait, what do you mean 'you'." She asked, trotting after him down the dark steps. Joker simply laughed from ahead of her.

"I mean _you_ get to play doctor on me. Now step lively, tutz. I can only bleed so much." He replied, grinning to himself when Jayde groaned. "You gotta drive." Joker added a few seconds later, at the car. He tossed the keys over the roof to her. "I can't move my arm much or the bullet will slip further."

When Jayde pulled out of the alley, she sighed, looking over to Joker who was now sliding his finger calmly through the fresh bullet hole in the side of his purple coat as it lay off and across his lap . She frowned, bouncing slightly in the seat as she sped away.

"Joker, you're too calm about this!" she exclaimed, looking over at him. "You just got shot!" Joker shrugged, smirking.

"To panic makes your heart race. Making your heart race makes you lose blood faster." He replied, blinking slowly, wisely. "Stay calm, stay alive longer." A few seconds silence followed his words before Jayde whimpered, turning full in the driver's seat to glance nervously behind them.

"Uh…I don't like this…" she murmured nervously. "I _really_ don't like this…" her eyes kept glancing around for cop cars although there was absolutely nobody following them. Joker groaned from beside her, rolling his eyes. "I mean, I really don't wanna-…" she began but jumped when Joker voice rose from that groan to practically a shout.

"Jayde!" he barked. "Calm. Down! When I start freaking out, _that's _when you should start freaking out." he explained but winced again when a splitting pain tore through his side, seemingly rattling his ribs as he took a deep breath. As little pain as he was in that this point, Joker knew it was only a few minutes back to the hotel where the real, _fun _pain began…he couldn't wait…

….To be continued _soon…_


	26. I Wanna Make A Mess

Author's Note: Again, sorry about the wait, guys…You know how summer is…Anyways, here it is. This is basically part 2 to chapter 24. More to come soon.

Upstairs, once Jayde had parked the Corvette, Joker was standing in the middle of the room, next to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt with his left hand while his right remained still so not to move the bullet. When the blue shirt came off, Jayde gasped at the size of the massive red blood stain on his wife-beater tank top, from the middle of his side, just above his elbow, down.

"Jayde," he called her name before he nodded his head toward the heap of bags. "Go through that top bag and get me the smaller red one." He instructed, walking over to the bathroom sink to peel off his tank top slowly. Jayde had returned with the bag he had asked for and he took it from her, sliding it open. Inside was a whole array of medical supplies and from the bag, Jayde watched as he pulled a long, sharp pair of tweezers, gauze, a bottle of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and a roll of medical tape.

Jayde watched his eyes as he pulled two of the complimentary hotel glasses toward him, uncapping each bottle to dump a bit of alcohol in one and hydrogen peroxide in the other. He seemed perfectly at ease, like he had done this many times before as he picked up the pair of tweezers to drop them first into the glass of hydrogen peroxide, then into the glass of alcohol. After thirty silent seconds, staring at it, he pulled the tweezers out and looked to Jayde.

"Wash your hands." He commanded and only once he had watched to make sure she washed really well, including under her fingernails, did he hand her the tweezers. "Alright, make it fast." He instructed simply, lifting his arm while Jayde did nothing but stare at him, slightly dumbfounded.

"Wh-what?…" she asked, glancing from the oozing hole in Joker's side to the silver tweezers in her fingers. Jayde jumped a second later when Joker growled.

"Get the god damn bullet out!" he cried, slapping the counter with his hand as another burst of pain shot through his midsection. "Now!!"

Now urgent and slightly trembling, Jayde slowly reached forward, gently probing the tweezers inside the small, circular wound on his side. He jumped at first but sighed, tilting his head back when she began to feel around. The pain reached all the way into his fingertips when Jayde clamped down on what appeared to be a small cracked section of his seventh or eighth rib and Joker growled more loudly, now gripping the counter in pain. Her teeth were digging into her bottom lip as she struggled to see inside and although it was no deeper than her first knuckle, his dark red, still slowly oozing blood was making tough work of finding a small bullet.

Finally after nearly two minutes of poking around in Joker's wound, the metal from the tweezers brushed against something solid and round so Jayde wasted no time in clamping down to pull it out, slowly. Seeing how the bullet had slipped into a longer angle than the diameter of the wound, the tip of the bullet caused his skin to tear a little more although his time, it seemed to tickle him and Joker gasped, giggling slightly, although his eyes rolled back before he closed them.

"There it is." Jayde murmured, holding up the bloody, gooey bullet which Joker took from the tweezers, into his fingers to inspect it. He brought it closer to his face for a few seconds before he sighed, dropping it into the glass of alcohol.

"That's a twenty-two. No wonder it didn't get me bad." He commented to nobody in particular but jumped when Jayde brought a cold, hydrogen peroxide soaked piece of gauze to his wound, dabbing gently. After a second, Joker grinned, watching Jayde's concentrating face in the mirror as she made a makeshift but excellent bandage for him before she placed a few pieces of gauze on the wound and taped it all up. When she finished, Jayde sighed, standing up to look at the bandage with a proud grin on her face before she looked up at Joker.

"You think that will be alright?" she asked of him, watching his eyes to find that he was not looking at her eyes but instead her lips, eyeing them in that certain way that made Jayde all tingly.

"I think it will be perfect." He replied softly, but blinked a few moments later, seemingly coming out of a trance. His eyes lowered to flick over her bloody clothes and arms. "But I think you ought to get a shower. You're covered in…" he sneered, pointing with a finger at her clothes. "…DNA." And with that he walked away abruptly, leaving Jayde to frown after him, slightly disappointed that he _still _ hadn't kissed her once that whole day. She did not expect him to, but…she really liked it when he did.

In the bathroom, after removing her clothes carefully and placing them in the corner, Jayde waited for the water to warm, holding her hand under the stream from outside. The now dried blood on her hand, wrist and arm liquefied again, landing in pink drops in the bottom of the tub. She watched it all slide down the drain, wondering how long it would be until the police found Thomas Reicher and his family. Jayde didn't care. They had left no trace of herself or Joker, only a murdered family; she considered them even.

Now standing under the water, Jayde made sure to get the rest of the blood on her face and off her arms before she sighed, leaning her head back to wet down her curls. Her body felt tired but her soul felt renewed as if a weight had lifted off of her and she felt as though she had avenged her parents justly. It was all because of Joker. If he had not brought her back, convinced her to stay, and helped her, she would still be that bored, miserable girl working at Starbucks in Gotham. Grinning to herself, Jayde closed her eyes allowing the water to splash against her face.

A moment later, Jayde jumped, throwing her arms around herself half-instinctually when the shower curtain was thrown back, revealing a shirtless Joker. He grinned at her evilly, letting his eyes rove downward over her naked body that she was so unsuccessfully trying to hide. Her arms relaxed when she saw him and she grinned back, but looked down when Joker stepped into the shower with her, still wearing his purple pants with the suspenders down. She giggled quietly, moving aside.

"But your pants-…" she began, pointing at them but instantly shut up against his lips when he kissed her, placing his hands on either side of her face under the thin streams of water that were now hitting the back of his neck. Jayde tried hard not to grin too hard and ruin it, but his lips were moving so gently and yet passionately against hers that he was making it really hard not to smile. Joker turned so her back rested against the side wall of the shower, pinned between it and himself. He pulled away a second later, only to sigh as the water splashed against them, wetting his hair so it hung in his face and slowly rinsed the paint makeup so it ran in blurry lines down his cheeks. Breathlessly, with his forehead against hers, he grinned, lightly gripping a soaked strand of her hair between his index finger and thumb.

"Watching _you_…kill that guy had to be…" he leaned down further as he spoke, kissing her neck every few inches. "…the sexiest _fucking_ thing I've ever seen." Joker admitted before he pulled back slightly, nodding with his eyebrows raised as if checking to see she understood. Jayde's lips curled into a smile before Joker kissed her again, biting her lip between his teeth gently when his thumb brushed over Jayde's nipple and she pulled away slightly with a soft gasp. In the randomness of him getting in the shower with his pants on, Jayde had practically forgotten she was naked, but Joker's hands were reminding her quickly.

One of them was gripping her hip while the other moved slowly, from her side to the small of her back, on down over the roundness of her ass, memorizing the way her body curved against his hand. Jayde's jaw dropped as Joker lowered his head to sink his teeth gently into a section of her neck he had been kissing a moment earlier. She couldn't help but moan when he traced the marks from his teeth with his tongue, soothing the skin he had bitten.

While the Joker occupied himself with giving her shoulder enough hickeys to last her a lifetime, Jayde's hands acted with a mind of their own and reached out, sliding the tips of her fingers into the lining of his purple pinstripe pants and the boxers he was wearing beneath them. His kissing faltered momentarily but he did not stop, and simply changed sides. Jayde whimpered, arching her back when he turned his head again to lightly kiss her neck and at this, she unbuttoned his pants and tugged the zipper down, suddenly ravenous for him.

Joker laughed breathlessly against her neck when Jayde tugged his pants down but tilted her head up, catching his lips as he kicked off the last of his clothes, bracing himself with his arm on the wall next to Jayde's head. When Jayde's hand bravely reached out to be met by Joker's solid erection, she wrapped her fingers around him firmly, arousing the sexiest and most primal groan she had heard from him yet. The Joker seemed to melt in her hand when she touched him and as she began to stroke him up and down, he pulled away from her lips, the hand on her hip gripping harder when his forehead met the cold tile next to her head. He moaned again moments later when Jayde brushed her thumb against the tip but he reached down, taking her hand as he inhaled deeply.

"Do _you_ have any idea…" he began against her ear, placing both of his hands on the small of her back where they slowly began to drift downward, framing her hips. "…what I'm gonna do to you?" he finished his question and Jayde grinned, looking up to see that Joker was now makeup-less, thanks to the water. His skin was clean and as flesh-colored as hers and Jayde took a second to grin at him before she rose onto her tip toes slightly to kiss his neck gently. He looked different from how Jayde had ever seen him, but at the same time, with his green hair stringy and hanging, dripping in his face, Jayde had no problem admitting right then that the Joker looked downright _hot._

She arched her back, splaying her chest against his as her arms moved to wrap around his shoulders. His hands had already made it to the very bottom of her ass where they rested. "What are you gonna do to me, Joker?" she asked softly, grinning when she felt Joker's scar twitch against her cheek with a smirk.

"I'm gonna…pick you up and fuck you against this wall…right. here." He slapped his hand against the wall twice to emphasize his last words and Jayde was just about to ask how he was going to do that with a bullet hole in his side when his hands grabbed the back of her thighs and he literally picked her up off her feet to practically sit in his hands. Despite this, Jayde only had a second to somewhat marvel at either how strong he was or how light she was, before Joker let her drop in his hands, letting her fall onto that dick. He had pulled back to watch her face and could not help but grin at her widened eyes and the surprised yet delighted gasp that escaped her at feeling him completely hard, completely inside of her. Her wide eyes relaxed a moment later when Joker began to rock into her, gripping both of her upper thighs in his hands, watching her face when she closed her eyes to tilt her head back. Her arms remained rested around his shoulders although she pulled them back, gliding her hands along his wet upper arms.

Upon that first initial lift of getting Jayde off the floor, a wave of dull pain shot through Joker's side all the way down past his hip and into his leg, but he ignored it, far more interested in fucking Jayde senseless in the shower than in some pansy wound. She was so warm and tight around him that he couldn't help but moan against the wall. The wet tile magnified his voice, covering Jayde in goosebumps as the sound of it echoed slightly in the bathroom. Now, as he thrust deeply against Jayde, little shocks of delightful pain shot through him, making the pleasure more contradictory and yet more intense.

Jayde watched his face when Joker pulled back to gaze down between their bodies where he was pounding into her and she grinned when he shut his eyes, moaning softly at what he saw. His pace picked up slightly but when Jayde lifted her knees to tighten their grip on his waist, she reached out grabbing a bit of his hair to tug so his head tilted backward, exposing his neck. He groaned initially but when her lips and tongue met his secret, weak spot, he panted a few times, tightening his grip on the underside of her thighs.

"Oh, _god, _Jayde…" he moaned over the top of her head and Jayde pulled back, grinning at him breathlessly as she licked her lips. Joker's eyes were dilated and shiny as he gazed down at her, slowing his thrusts until he practically pulled completely out of her, ceasing his movement. Jayde's eyes looked to him in slight confusion but when the corner of his top lip curled into a sexy grin, his hands released her to let her fall forcefully back onto him.

Jayde cried out, throwing her head back, hitting the wall of the shower with a dull thud that made Joker grin further as he began to thrust into her again, now at a much more aggressive pace. From the way he was holding her up against the wall, his fingers had no way of reaching her clit and Joker had already decided that he was not going to be done with her until she finished, and more than once if he could manage. So in a spur of the moment decision, Joker lifted her slightly, pulling out until he set her on her feet.

Jayde watched Joker slide open the shower curtain and step out, looking back at her expectantly, but she did not need to bother asking. They were moving locations, so she stepped out after him, leaving the bathroom to enter the hotel room. Her legs were shaky and her entire body pulsated as the room came into view. The air conditioning hit her wet skin like knives, raising goosebumps all over her. At first, she wasn't sure where to go but Joker obviously had already thought it out and was stepping over to her to lift her off the ground again until her ass met the bathroom counter. He smirked to himself when he pulled her towards him, parting her legs with his hands before he entered her once more, growling at feel of her wet warmth surrounding him again.

While Joker's hips immediately swung into a rough rhythm, Jayde let her eyes wander over his skin, from the top of his chest, down to where their bodies met. He was leaned over her, bracing himself with his hand against the mirror behind her and all of his stomach muscles tensed with each thrust. He was just tall enough to be perfect for the counter's height and Jayde moaned, closing her eyes; she couldn't believe this guy was her 'friend' that she could just fuck whenever she wanted. The decision to lose her virginity was proving to be _well _worth it.

When Joker's thumb reached between her legs to rub against her clit, Jayde gasped, leaning her head back, leaving wet streaks on the clean mirror as her toes pointed delicately. Joker was grunting softly above her and as he continued to rub circles around her bud, he bit her shoulder gently. The hand of Joker's that had been bracing the mirror came down to grip the back of her thigh, pushing her knee toward her shoulder to give himself more room and a better angle. He grinned when Jayde moaned loudly in response.

The pain he had been experiencing when they first started at it had subsided for a few minutes but was now back full-fledged and growing more intense with every thrust. Joker did not mind it but knew that this could not go on for nearly as long as he wanted it to.

Jayde was squirming beneath him, writhing on the counter and the noises she was making forced Joker to buck his hips even harder, his fingers digging further into her thigh. So when Joker touched her clit again, all it took was one gentle motion of his thumb to send her reeling, practically convulsing as she cried his name, reaching out to grip his forearm. Joker immediately slowed his pace when he felt her clenching around him and he smiled, breathlessly down at her as Jayde came down from her orgasm, her chest heaving. Her wet curls were staring to dry and were framing her face, falling over her shoulders and down her back. He had to admit to himself, when he watched her eyes open…she had never looked so gorgeous. A soft, satisfied smile slid across her face when she noticed him grinning at her, still slowly moving his hips.

Halfway through their gaze, Jayde clenched around him subconsciously, causing Joker's dick to throb hard, reminding him of what was still going on. The Joker growled, smirking as he replied to his body's demands, although he continued to watch Jayde watch him and when her eyes slid down his stomach to his hips where he thrust, she sighed lustfully, reaching out to touch him. His skin was warm although the water on him was cold, so when Joker leaned over the counter to catch her lips, the drops that fell on her chest were like tiny icicles.

He rocked into her forcefully again, both hands now gripping her hips. Jayde was watching him, memorizing everything about him. At the moment, he was scowling at her belly button as if trying to stay passive, however only a moment later, his face relaxed and he moaned deeply, tilting his head back. His thumbs were digging into her hipbones but he couldn't help it. Joker knew she was watching him but he did not want to look at her, knowing he would finish no matter how much longer he thought he could last. But as if Jayde knew what he needed, she arched her back, gripping his forearms as his name left her lips in the sexiest moan he had heard all night.

"God, _Jayde!" _ he growled through gritted teeth before he groaned deeply, immediately finding her lips to kiss her fully as he pulled out and came into the palm of his hand. Jayde felt what sounded like a soft whimper leave Joker against her lips and she grinned as he brought his other hand up to slide beneath her hair to pull her to a sitting position on the counter. His arm slid behind her back, holding her chest close to his while his hand moved some of her dried, wispy curls from her face.

When he pulled away, Joker sighed deeply, grinning. "Don't move." He instructed quietly, reaching only slightly behind her to the sink where he turned it on to rinse off his hand. After drying it on a wash cloth, he scooped Jayde off the counter to set her back on her feet where she swayed, grinning lazily up at him when he smirked at her. The shower was still running in the bathroom beyond them.

"Uh…I'm sorry," Joker began, glancing in the bathroom. "I think I interrupted your shower…" Jayde laughed grabbing a towel off the rack to finish drying off.

"It's ok," she replied, as he turned off the water and pulled out his heavy, drenched pants, suspenders and boxers in one dripping purple mass. "I'll finish it tomorrow." By now Joker had pulled on a pair of jeans, after he had hung up the pants in the shower to dry and was sliding his purple coat on over his bare chest to go down to the car.

By the time he returned, Jayde had already curled up under the blankets in pajama bottoms and a long sleeved shirt and smiled at him as he tossed the bag he had brought back on top of the pile in the corner. It was still freezing outside and as Joker reluctantly slid out of his purple coat, he fought back a shiver only to dig through and find a long sleeved shirt of his own quickly. Jayde had already turned onto her side away from him, _waiting _to feel his arms slide around her from behind, for the warm, comfortable feeling of her back against his chest. When the bed moved behind her, Jayde's eyes creaked open and she grinned to herself when Joker's arms gently wrapped around her and he pulled her back to his chest. He sighed deeply in content against her hair and one of his hands came up to grip her arm where his thumb stroked her gently.

"Tonight, you were unstoppable, Jayde." He murmured a few seconds later, quietly but Jayde giggled in response, sinking further into his arms. "I mean, you _really _killed that guy." He added, grinning into her hair when she laughed softly again.

"I needed to do that. I think I can…move on now." She answered but turned over abruptly, now facing him. "…But I couldn't have done it without you." She cooed, gazing up at his eyes through the darkness. He smirked slowly, wrapping his long fingers around both of her wrists where he kissed her hands lightly instead of responding. When his eyes eventually met hers again, Jayde was already looking at him and she smiled. "Thank you, Joker." She murmured with a straight face, no hint of a joke in her eyes but Joker only nodded twice, staring back at her, giving a silent but clear reply with his eyes.

Jayde was not sure when she had turned over again or what time it was but the sun was not completely up yet and the hotel room was bathed in a dim, grey light. Just behind her, she could hear Joker snoring quietly through his nose with his hand rested on the bed in front of her. It could not have been any later than six and yet as Jayde lay there, she felt wide awake as if she had not even been sleeping. She figured Joker would still want to sleep, so moving as slowly and gently as she could, Jayde slid out from under his arm to rise from the bed.

While she dressed quietly in jeans and put a bra on under her sweater, Jayde kept glancing at the bed where Joker slept, half-hoping he would wake up before she finished. He remained quite still, still growling softly so she left him laying on his side to step out into the crisp, Montana morning air. Outside, directly before her, the top crescent of the sun was peeking over the horizon, rising slowly, although, below her, the parking lot was empty of people, along with the streets, where only one or two cars passed at a time. So she trotted down the stairs to the sidewalk to begin ambling along, pensively.

Immediately, that morning, Jayde could feel a huge difference in her persona. It seemed she did not need to wake up every morning feeling exhausted, bitter and angry anymore and she figured after a few minutes of walking that that was why she had woken so abruptly that morning. She smiled with a heavy sigh as she crossed the street into an open-air park just beyond the hotel.

There was nobody there yet and as Jayde walked between all the jungle gyms, the swings gently swayed in the breeze that rustled the trees and grass around her. Sitting down on one of them, her hands curled around the metal chain-links although her toes were the only part of her that could reach the ground.

Thomas Reicher was dead. Now all they had to do was drive all the way back to Gotham and then Jayde would never be bored again. She could not even begin to imagine all the shenanigans Joker had planned for his return to the huge city, but she had a feeling he would find a good job for her somewhere in the midst of his chaos. The mansion was going to be her new 'permanent' home and for some reason, Jayde was really excited about…'moving in'.

As she sat there, Jayde's fingers began to grow numb from the crisp chill and after a while, she began to wonder why she left the hotel room in the first place. Her sweater was not that thick so the cold air was seeping through, chilling her skin as if she was in a giant refrigerator. Back at the warm hotel room, Joker was probably still asleep and the prospect of getting to wake him up was very tempting so Jayde rose from the swing set after about fifteen minutes of staring off into the park absentmindedly and began to trudge back toward the sidewalk to cross the street again.

Across the way from her stood an old man, leaning on a cane, bundled in a heavy brown coat as he waited on a bus to stop and pick him up. His glasses rose on his nose slightly when he smiled genuinely at Jayde as she passed him and she could not help but smile back; already, the world seemed like a nicer place with her parents avenged.

The parking lot was just as empty as it had been when Jayde left but as she turned the corner to go up the metal case of stairs, her eyes flew to the top where The Joker sat, perched on the top step with his knees up, leaned against the side railing with his hands in his coat pockets. He must have woken and put on jeans and his coat over the boxers and long-sleeved shirt he slept in and was now looking as comfortable and warm as he could possibly be. The scowl that had been lurking on his face slowly relaxed into a sleepy smirk that caused Jayde's stomach to turn over a few times inside her.

After she had made it up a few steps, Joker's raspy morning voice broke the silence. "Ya know, at first, I thought you left me here and took the Corvette," he began, arching an eyebrow up at her as she stood in front of him a couple steps below the one he sat on. Her eyes widened as she turned around to sit on the step below him and she cut in.

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't do that." She immediately admitted and wasn't surprised when Joker grunted a laugh when she leaned back against him, resting her arm on his leg.

"You're damn right, kid, cuz then I woulda had to kill ya…for real this time."


	27. Welcome Back!

It seemed at the time, to Jayde and Joker, that they had been sitting on those steps all morning watching the sun rise, when it had really only just risen over the tops of the buildings when Joker stirred. He sighed deeply, raising his arms up over his head to stretch. His movement shifted Jayde as well and she half-turned to smile up at him placidly. Joker's elbows came back to rest on his knees and he leaned forward slightly, squinting, although Jayde could tell he was not looking at her eyes but rather her cheek.

"Do you want to take the stitches out today?" he asked, still peering closely at the neat, healed row of sutures. Jayde met his gaze, her eyes slightly wide.

"If you think it's time." She replied, pausing to run her tongue along the inside of her cheek. "It doesn't hurt anymore." The second she finished her sentence, Joker stood, her wrist now clamped in his hand.

"Let's go play operation again." She heard him murmur as he opened the door to the hotel room. It was obvious from the half-crooked grin on his face that Joker was very excited about her scar. While he searched for another medical bag, Jayde walked to the mirror over the sink, leaning forward to see her cheek. Her lips pursed to one side, stretching the stitches.

Jayde knew that Joker would be pleased if it came out even half as gruesome as his but she also knew he would never tell her that. He had taken such care that night to make the stitching neat to leave her with nothing but a thin line on her cheek even though that scar meant everything to the 'relationship' they were starting. Jayde exhaled through her nose when her eyes found Joker stalking up behind her in the mirror, carrying a bag.

"Sit." He commanded quietly, pointing at the counter behind her while he pulled a latex glove onto his right hand. Jayde obeyed immediately, watching his every move as he fished into the bag only to pull out a tiny, incredibly sharp pair of scissors. He looked up, grinning.

"Alright," he began, cracking his neck once. "Don't move." As his hands came toward her, Jayde closed her eyes as if bracing herself although his left hand's fingers only moved under her chin to the other side of her face, gently tilting her stitched cheek up toward the light. A soft sigh left her at the touch of his hand only for a gasp to pull it back as the scissors made a small, sharp snipping noise through the wire at the top of the scar.

Down the scar, he snipped, piece by piece until he reached the corner of her mouth. With all the wire bent into straight lines, all he had to do from there was go back and pull the thin wire straight down and through the healed skin. His eyes moved to hers as she opened them at his hesitation.

"This might hurt." he said, raising his eyebrows slightly as his lips pursed to keep from grinning. Jayde shrugged, sliding her eyes shut again.

"Bring it on." she replied, remembering how badly it hurt to get the scar in the first place; taking the stitches out had to be nothing in comparison. Joker growled deep in his throat, grinning.

"Mmm…You better stop talkin' like that, missy, or we might not have the time to go see Audrey today." He threatened with a crooked smirk but tugged down on the first wire just as Jayde's face lit up and she gasped. A second later, her face fell again as the pain registered through her cheek but it wasn't long before she was excited again.

"You're gonna take me to see her?" she asked, practically bouncing on the counter while Joker struggled to keep her still.

"Not if you don't.. stop.. _moving_." He grumbled, tugging out three right in a row. Jayde merely flinched. Her face already felt free again and once he had gotten them all out, Joker stepped back, dropping the tweezers onto the counter, staring at it somewhat triumphantly. "Oh…You look _beautiful_, darling." He cooed, turning her around in the mirror to step behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

Jayde's eyes slid along her face, along the thin, raised scar lining her cheek and immediately she knew that this was now the first thing people would notice about her. The bond she had formed with Joker because of this scar was now the only thing she remotely enjoyed about having it and she could tell Joker was pleased. However, Jayde was feeling a _little _freakish.

Joker seemed to realize exactly what she needed at that point in time from her body language and he took a deep breath, reaching out to take her shoulders in his hands as his eyes rolled slightly. "Jayde, you are, by far, one of the most breathtaking women I've ever set eyes on and if you think that you're suddenly _ugly_ because of that little…_deformity…_then you're a lot crazier than I originally thought." He put simply, staring straight at her eyes from a slightly bent position, putting them at the same level.

Jayde sighed again, reaching out a hand to his elbow where she gripped him, smiling. "You always know exactly what to say, Joker…I like that about you." She admitted, stroking his arm with her thumb a few times.

Joker laughed loudly, clapping his hands on her upper arms twice. "'Course I do, kiddo!" he replied, turning away. "It's mostly bullshit!" he added, laughing harder when Jayde threw the nearest medical bag at him, grinning.

An hour later, Jayde was standing at the front door, showered and dressed, bouncing on her heels, watching as Joker took his dear sweet time getting dressed. She could tell he was doing this on purpose simply to torture her as every few seconds he would look over at her and smirk, slowing his movements just a bit more when she groaned.

"Joker! Come on!" she finally squealed, stomping her foot. Joker laughed quietly as he walked over, buckling his belt with his head bowed. When he looked up, he grinned widely.

"Now that you're _finally_ ready, let's go." He said, but laughed at the dirty look Jayde threw over her shoulder as he held his arm out to let her lead the way.

With the car started and rumbling, Jayde slid into the passenger seat next to Joker although a shiny, glistening streak of dried liquid on the black leather caught her attention.

"Eww..." She immediately said, sitting forward. "Did you leak on the seat last night?" Her nose remained crinkled in partial disgust at Joker who frowned at the expression on her face.

"Did I…what? Leak?" Looking over, Joker saw what she was cringing at but then that frown deepened into a scowl. "Jayde, do you know how much of _your _blood I've had on me?" he asked, holding up a finger which got closer to her face slightly when he continued. "No. You don't." he then turned to the windshield, holding out his hand. "Why's that?" he asked in a voice that suggested that her time to ask that question was right then. Joker turned to her again, lowering his head. "Because you were too busy crying over your face." He paused then lowered only his eyes to glance at the stain on the seat. "It wont burn you so I'd just sit there and ignore it."

Jayde paused for a second while Joker started the car.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yes."

Several quiet minutes later, the car pulled up at a red light on the way out of town and as the tires slowed, Joker rose slightly out of the seat to pull something from the pocket of his faded jeans. In the passenger seat, Jayde was too busy watching a bird bathing in some leftover rain to take notice until something touched her arm. Looking down, she saw Joker's outstretched hand, in it, her abandoned, almost completely forgotten cell phone. Jayde gasped, taking it from him.

"Call your friend and make sure she's alive-…uh-..home." Joker explained, smirking when Jayde shot him a look. The car pulled through the now green light as Jayde dialed the number and held the phone up to her ear, biting down on her lip anxiously. However, after only two rings, the peppy, loud voice of her best friend broke through the other end.

"JAYDE! WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR THREE WEEKS NOW!!!" Audrey practically screamed through the phone, causing Jayde to pull it away from her ear slightly, glancing at Joker. He had obviously heard the racket too and was looking over at her curiously with an arched eyebrow. Jayde rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm in Billings right now and I'm coming to your house. Are you home?" she asked quickly. On the other end, she could hear Audrey stammering.

"Wh-what? You're…what? I mean, yeah, I'm home! Oh my god, come over now!!" she finally exclaimed. "What are you doing back here?"

"I'll explain when we get there." Jayde answered, struggling to keep the absolutely massive smile off of her face. After goodbyes, Jayde hung up, glancing at Joker. "I can't believe you're going to meet her. I'm so excited." She admitted. Joker laughed once, glancing over.

"Is she one of those 'hyperactive cheerleader' types? 'Cause…rumor has it, The Joker doesn't do well with…their…kind…" he said deeply, arching an eyebrow in her direction as she laughed.

"Yeah, she's a little hyper but I think you'll be fine." She replied, patting his hand. "Just promise you wont embarrass me. I'm going to tell her you're my boyfriend so she doesn't get suspicious." Joker looked hurt as he placed his hand on his chest.

"Me? Embarrass you? No…No…I would never do such a thing." He assured her, chuckling in his chest. "No, I would never…" he continued to murmur, laughing quietly until the laugh grew into a roaring, boisterous, evil genius-type laugh that did not do much to convince Jayde he was being serious. After a couple seconds of loud laughter, he quieted down, reaching over to pat her knee. "Nah…I wont." He added but snorted a second later.

It wasn't long before the bright purple Corvette crawled over the crest of a large hill only to look down on the large ranch house belonging to Audrey's family. Behind the massive, white Victorian house sat a large, dark green barn with white trim, and beyond that, a huge valley filled thickly with dark pine trees. Jayde grinned at the familiar sight while Joker laughed.

"Geez, you didn't tell me she lived on a plantation…I wonder where the slaves stay." He murmured, his eyes now scanning his surroundings as they drove along the dirt path toward the driveway. Jayde rolled her eyes, still grinning but ignored the comment; her equally short, blonde best friend had just stepped out of the house and was now waving like a raving lunatic. It only took a second before she couldn't take it anymore and decided to start sprinting toward the growling, approaching Corvette. "Oooh, buddy, don't let me hit her.." he muttered, now clutching the wheel with both hands. Audrey was getting closer by the second and Jayde looked over at Joker as the car accelerated slightly.

"But it would be _really _funny…" he continued loudly, glancing at Jayde with that wild glimmer in his eyes; the kind of crazed shade of dangerous she was learning to watch for.

Audrey had stopped running when she realized the purple car was not slowing down and now seemed somewhat frozen to that spot. However, just when Jayde was about to yell at him to stop, he put the brakes on hard, billowing dust and dirt up behind the Corvette in a huge brown cloud. At some point the car stopped moving and as the dust caught up with them, clouding the windows, Jayde turned slowly to the grinning Joker and slapped him hard on the arm. He cowered with a fake sob that suggested she had actually hurt him but as he rubbed his arm, he frowned.

"What?! Look!" he cried, pointing through the wind shield at Audrey who had, for some reason, not moved and was now standing there, inches from the hood of the car. If Jayde hadn't been so excited to see Audrey, she probably would have bitched at Joker a bit longer for scaring her and her friend but Audrey had now run around the side of the car and was squealing, practically hopping around. Behind her, as Jayde opened the door, she heard Joker mutter 'Oh god…'.

The second she had stood up, Audrey locked her in one of those extremely tight, short-people hugs that nearly squeezed the breath out of her but Jayde returned the embrace just as tightly.

"Oh my god!" Audrey was wailing. "Where have you been all of my life? I've been so worried!" Jayde stepped back from the hug, sliding her hands into her back pockets somewhat sheepishly as Joker stepped out of the car on the other side. She watched as Audrey's eyes slowly slid from Jayde's face to the man she had brought with her and her eyebrows relaxed slightly as she took him in. His hair was as green as ever, although he had not worn any of his makeup today and was looking rather handsome at that, if Jayde did say so. The scars on either side of his face were noticeable but Jayde had a feeling Audrey was more put off by his hair than the scars. Jayde grinned as he walked up, but from the look in her best friend's eyes, she was not amused or taking this very lightly. The tall, sinewy guy had stepped around the car and was walking toward Jayde.

At first, Jayde hesitated, knowing how utterly awkward the next sentence would feel but Audrey was silently demanding an explanation.

"Audrey, this is my boyfriend…Kieron." She said, immediately exhaling once the words were out of her mouth. Beside her, Joker extended his hand to Audrey, grinning that characteristic smirk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said in a smooth, charming voice and Jayde watched her best friend's face as the expression there changed from suspicious to something near comfortable.

"It's nice to meet you too!" she replied a second later, glancing at Jayde. "Where did you guys meet?" When Jayde opened her mouth to speak, Joker cut across her, as his hand slid behind her back.

"Well, she works at the Starbucks near my house and I just happened to be riding by in a car when she was sitting in the window on her break." He paused, glancing down at her beside him. "And I thought she was stunning so I got to know her a little…" he looked back to Audrey, grinning. "Then, I kidnapped her and made her mine!" Jayde's heart stopped.

Thankfully, Audrey was one of those stereotypical blondes and simply giggled, looking to Jayde. "Aww!" she cried. "That's so cute!" Jayde laughed sheepishly, glancing at Joker from the corner of her eye. "Come inside! You have to see Mom and Dad." When Audrey bounced off, Jayde's wrist in hand, Joker stayed back.

"I'll let you two catch up. I'm gonna go walk." He explained when Audrey stopped with an expectant look on her face. She paused but shrugged a second later.

"Ok, you're welcome to look around." She called over her shoulder, turning again to continue tugging Jayde up to the house. With one last look over her shoulder, Jayde saw The Joker still leaning against the car, watching them go with that smirk on his face that broadened when their gazes met.

Just inside the house, a large foyer-type room met them, at the back, a tall, wooden staircase. The hardwood beneath them groaned in all the familiar places as they stepped into the room. Jayde could remember being here so many times and could remember all the circumstances that brought her there; she wondered if she would ever come back to remember this one. Audrey turned to her, still clutching her hand.

"Ok, so your boyfriend is hot, I'll give you that," She immediately said, rather air-headedly. "but he would look so much better without green hair." She then added over her shoulder as she pulled her into the living room. "Mom! Jayde is back!"

Across the room, a thirty-year older version of Audrey spun around in a computer chair with a gasp. When her eyes fell onto Jayde, they immediately filled with tears and she rose from the chair to skip over to her.

"Oh, Jayde…" she practically whimpered, raising her arms to wrap them around her. "We've missed you so much." Pulling back, she held Jayde at arm's length, giving her that deeply sympathetic look she was so used to receiving.

"I've missed you guys too. It's good to be back." She replied, glancing at the inside of the familiar living room that Jayde could remember having slumber parties in when she was just a teeny bopper.

"When are you going back?" Audrey then asked and Jayde felt her heart sink, predicting the look on her best friend's face when she answered.

"Probably the day after tomorrow." She replied, looking away from Audrey to her mother. "We drove though so it will take us a day or two to get back." Mrs. Lancaster's eyebrows rose a bit.

"We?" she asked, looking to Audrey. "Who did you bring?" Jayde grinned when the older woman's eyes lit up just like Audrey's did when she mentioned a new boy.

"Oh, she brought her _boyfriend_ with her." Audrey cut in, folding her arms with a grin. When her mom continued to look at her, she went on, rolling her eyes. "…and yes, he's really cute."

Outside, after the girls had disappeared, Joker began meandering along the fence nearest the house, taking an occasional drag on the cigarette he had lit. The family's fields were massive and well kept and just before they dipped into the valley, he could see a couple black, brown and white cows munching on grass peacefully. As fun as target practice sounded at the time, Joker shook it off, resorting to casually leaning against the fence with his back to the house and barn. His back met the top wood panel before he crossed one ankle over the other and leaned back, resting his arms on the fence on either side of himself.

It really was peaceful out there, he had to admit, although the constant honking of horns and wailing of sirens was more his atmosphere. The countryside was _too _peaceful for him and he found himself almost longing for just one, really loud noise. However, the wind only blew softly in reply, rustling his green curls. He sighed, flicking the butt of the cigarette into the grass before him.

A moment later, Joker jumped a bit when something nudged his elbow from behind him and upon looking back, he frowned slightly at the tall, gray horse watching him quietly. The thing snorted, tossing it's head and mane before it nudged him again, a bit harder. Joker retreated a half-step, his frown deepening until he reached out a hand, slowly toward the horse. It blinked, extending it's neck slightly to sniff once before it nuzzled it's velvety nose into his palm, tickling his hand with it's whiskers. Joker's frown dissolved slowly into a smirk as he moved his hand to rub the horse's forehead. When it whinnied softly in response, that smirk grew to something near a smile.

"That's Jack. He's Audrey's horse."

Joker turned his head to see Jayde walking down the fence toward him, smiling, but looked back to the horse when he took another step closer, resting his head against Joker's shoulder. Jayde had reached him by then and hopped up onto the top railing of the fence.

"I think he's a little gay for me." Joker replied, arching an eyebrow at Jayde, who laughed, reaching out to pat Jack's neck.

"He's a little gay for everyone. He's the most affectionate horse you'll ever see." Jayde smiled, cocking her head to the side as she watched Joker's features while he petted Jack. They were relaxed and that scowl he usually wore was missing from it's usual place. He seemed so serene and at ease but then again, she figured he was probably just bored.

"Wanna take a walk?" she asked suddenly, tearing Joker's attention from the horse and the scowl returned only for a second for him to consider her request before he grinned.

"Sure." He replied, so they both began walking, slowly through the grass toward the farther fields that dipped into the valley. At first, neither were sure what to say but as Jayde side-stepped a rock, she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"When are we leaving to go back to Gotham?" she asked, looking up at him beside her as he took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"I dunno, but I'm getting pretty homesick." He paused, arching an eyebrow down at her. "…is there anything else you wanted to do while you were here?" he asked this somewhat hesitantly, hoping she was going to say no. When she shook her head, Joker sighed. "Alright, well, there is _one_ lit-tle thing I wanted to do here." He went on to say but Jayde stopped walking when they came up to the crest of the valley where a large boulder peered down into the trees. Standing atop it, she turned to face him, her eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue. He grinned first, glancing around as if people were listening to them.

"We've got one hell of a drive back…" he began, holding up two fingers. "Two days of straight driving, count 'em, two. So I'm proposing…" he paused, looking at her eyes. "…that we get high the whole way back."

At first, Jayde was not sure if he was serious but from the look on his face, he certainly was and she laughed before nodding. "Alright." She finally answered, stepping forward to take his hands as they stood facing each other. Her eyes met his with a sweet gaze and she took another half-step forward, moving her arms closer in preparation to wrap around his middle. Joker suddenly caught on, glancing around at the rather romantic surroundings she had led them into.

"Hey, hey, hey…I know what you're doin'," he started, taking a step back. "You're trying to have a mushy-gushy moment with me out here." Jayde's smile widened into a huge grin as she stepped even closer, holding on tight to his hands.

"C'mon…You know you want to. It's just you and me…" she said, trying to wrap her arms around his middle but Joker was still play-fighting her, pushing her hands away.

"No!" he cried, now grinning as well. "I'm not ready!" Finally Jayde broke through his barrier and wrapped her arms around him, giggling when he whimpered, trying to peel her off. When she only tightened her grip, Joker finally sighed, giving in. "Alright…but just a quick one." His arms returned the other half of the embrace, wrapping around her gently until his chin rested on the top of her head and Jayde smiled triumphantly against his gray t-shirt.

Several silent moments passed while they stood there and Joker had begun slowly rocking side to side, his hands now moving up and down her back gently.

"You're really great, ya know that, Jayde?" he murmured, his eyes falling to the ground when she pulled away from their hug to look up at him. He shrugged a second later, smirking when her lips slowly curled into a huge grin. "Just in case you were wondering." He added but leaned down to meet her when Jayde rose up onto her tip-toes to kiss him gently.

Ten minutes later, Joker and Jayde had just made it back onto the porch when Audrey stepped outside, one hand on her hip and a knowing grin on her face. Jayde returned the grin, letting go of Joker's hand to sit down on one of the rocking chairs but jumped as Audrey suddenly gasped, rushing toward her to practically tackle her. The moment Audrey grabbed Jayde's face, she immediately looked to Joker, her eyes wide.

"What the hell happened to your face?" she asked loudly and to stall for an answer, Jayde laughed sheepishly.

"You're just noticing it now?" she asked, but flinched as Audrey released her face a bit roughly.

"Well, yeah. I was so excited to see you I just didn't even notice but…Oh my god, Jayde, that's so…" she paused, her eyes sliding to 'Kieron' as he leaned casually against the pillar of the porch. When Joker made eye contact with Audrey, who was now gawking openly at his scars, he made a face at her like she was the most hideous thing he had ever seen.

"Well, don't look at me," he said, crossing his arms. "I was born this way." His head jerked toward Jayde. "Ask Captain Klutz what happened." Audrey's eyes narrowed on him before she looked to Jayde who simply shrugged, grinning.

"I fell…?"

Over Audrey's shoulder, Jayde watched Joker roll his eyes.

**Author's Note: **YAY!!!! It's here!!! Aren't we all excited?! It's a little on the short side but I really will have the next one out sooner. I hope everyone is still with me on this. Only a couple more chapters left so if anyone has an opinion on whether I should start a Some Unholy War sequel or a Sweetest Vice sequel, drop me a line and let me know what you think. I want to make a decision fairly soon though…


	28. The Art of Deception

After saying rather tearful goodbyes and suspicious glances at Joker from Audrey, the purple Corvette was finally speeding away back toward the city, bouncing along the dirt roads. Jayde was just turning her head to gaze at her passing surroundings and hide her remaining tears when she felt Joker reach over to place his hand upside down in her lap for her to take. When she linked her fingers with his, he sighed, tightening his grip.

"So…did you ever have a special friend out here that you only went to for one thing?" he asked, glancing over at her as she turned her head to look up at him, confused.

"What?"

Joker sighed again, hanging his head slightly.

"A drug dealer, darling…a drug dealer…" he answered. "Ever have one of those?" Jayde laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I had one. Right before I moved away." She paused, turning her head to look out the window. "I guess he never got the memo, 'cuz he still texts me asking if I need anything." Joker's lips thinned as he grinned. "Just weed though…right?" she asked, nodding when he replied.

"Uh…yeah…" he answered slowly, his eyes squinting slightly as his plan began to formulate more rapidly inside his brain. Jayde could tell he was thinking so she refrained from speaking until he continued. "Did he ever sell anything else?" She nodded again, now looking up at him.

"He used to have coke every now and then…but I never bought any or even tried it with him…" she went on more quietly, knowing Joker was no longer listening. "Coke kinda scares me." Surprisingly, he chuckled.

"Heh…Well, _you_ kinda scare _me."_ he murmured, grinning at the road in front of them. "Let's go back to the room and give your old pal a little ring, hm?"

The drive back to the small hotel was rather quiet, but Jayde didn't mind. She knew Joker was plotting something but honestly, she was a little weary of his plans. Hopefully, whatever he was planning would involve her at a minimum. However, the moment they stepped into the hotel room, Joker handed Jayde her phone again, turning to sit on top of the wooden table across from the bed.

"Ok, here's what ya do…" he began, holding out his hand with one finger extended. "First, ya call up your guy and ask him if he's still around." He flicked out another finger. "Then, ya ask him if he'll meet you for a twenty- bag, or a _dub, _if you will…" he rolled his eyes. "Then, make sure you find out what car he'll be driving and set up a meeting place…somewhere on the secluded side." When Joker had finished explaining, he leaned back on his hands on the table, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Then, my dear, let me handle the rest."

Before clicking through her contacts list, Jayde studied Joker for a second, wondering if Audrey would ever find out who her 'boyfriend' really was or if Jayde would ever just eventually tell her. Although, if news from Gotham failed to reach Billings, Montana, Jayde had a feeling Audrey would never know. It was becoming clear how Joker managed to kidnap and murder so many women and as Jayde watched him, she could remember her mother's words of wisdom and experience from being a judge. She had told her that the most ruthless killers, the most brilliant evil men in the world were often the most attractive, the most likeable and the most charming. This was their lure and it was obvious that Joker had by then mastered the art of deception. His voice was very smooth when he wanted it to be and his ability to say all the right things, the things she wanted to hear, was downright alarming.

"'Ello.." Finally came a deep voice from the other end that she recognized immediately. When she paused to make sure it was really him, the voice came again. "Who dis?"

"H-Hey, Nesto…" she began a little nervously, looking to Joker as he did the same to her from the table. "It's Jayde."

Another pause came after her response before the deep voice finally answered. "Oh, what up, girl. What's good?"

"Uh…" Jayde began, letting go of the phone when Joker reached over quickly, glancing down at the screen to turn on the speaker phone before he set it back in her lap. "I was just wondering if you were still around and had anything."

"Yeah, come through. You need a twenty?" the dealer asked and as Jayde looked over at Joker, he nodded until she replied 'yes'. Joker's grin expanded into a massive, evil smile.

After they had set up a meeting place and found out the make and color of his car, Joker bustled around, loading a couple bullets into his gun, tucking knives into his jeans pockets, one in his sock and another in the waistline of his boxers. While Jayde watched him from the bed, she sighed, leaning over to lay on her side, propped up on her elbow.

"What makes you want to get this so bad?" she asked rather abruptly, looking up as he paused to buckle his belt.

"Honestly, I could care less if we get it or not, but personally, I would just _rather_ be high for two days. The drive will go much faster, just wait." He answered, but paused at the door, looking back over expectantly at her until she stood up, following him.

"But do you even think we're getting enough for two days?" she asked again, looking down as they now bounced back down the stairs toward the purple Corvette. Joker chuckled from ahead of her, tossing his head slightly.

"Oh, trust me…We'll have enough."

When the car jostled out onto the street, Joker took a turn in the opposite direction from the meeting place and Jayde opened her mouth to say something. Joker cut across her, shaking his head.

"I know, I know, it's the other way. Just hold tight, tutz. We gotta make a stop first." He half-explained, leaning forward in the seat as he drove, peering into parking lots as they passed. At this point, Jayde had learned well enough that Joker did not enjoy being questioned, so she sat in silence, curiously watching the road for quite some time until he pulled off, passing a long parking lot to the left of them once they had turned. Jayde noticed a parked police car sitting toward the back, waiting for potential speeders-by.

However, Joker did not stop here but merely pulled behind the parking lot on the other side of the strip, shopping plaza, parking the car before he turned to her.

"Alright, here's what I want you to do…" he began, turning off the headlights. "I want you to get in the driver's seat and pull back around to the side of this building until you can see the cop car. But don't move until I walk around to the parking lot. As soon as you can't see me anymore, pull around."

After he had explained all this, Jayde sat there with her mouth hanging open, but Joker made it obvious that he was not ready to explain it again and got out of the car, sliding his gun into the back of his jeans, under his shirt, walking toward the corner to go around into the parking lot. She watched him through the window, sliding slowly across the center of the car until she settled into the driver's seat and adjusted it to her height, still watching his shadowed figure stalking along the edge of the building.

It was incredibly dark outside, which was making tough work of watching Joker in his black shirt and dark jeans but the moment she was unable to see him at all anymore, she obeyed his orders and began to slowly follow in the car until she could _just _see the cop car and the Joker approaching it from behind. Jayde's stomach clenched up when she suddenly realized where he might be going with this but still she watched, intrigued. Reaching across, she rolled the passenger window down slowly, straining to hear.

The deeper notes in Joker's voice were the only ones she could distinguish although she still could not tell what he was saying. However, it appeared that he had knocked on the police officer's window, apparently asking for some sort of help. The next moments happened incredibly fast and Jayde watched in near horror as the police officer opened the door to his cruiser just a crack, only for Joker to wrench it open and drag the poor man out and around to the back of the car. Her jaw fell open as she watched Joker practically sit on top of the officer, pulling the registered Gloc from it's place on his belt before his hand, complete with chloroform soaked rag, went over his mouth, knocking him unconscious instantly.

From a distance, it looked as though Joker was stripping the man of his uniform but after a couple blinks, Jayde realized that it was exactly what Joker was doing. With the officer now in his undershirt and boxers, Joker lifted him from the ground the best he could and tossed him haphazardly into the trunk before climbing into the driver's seat with the uniform in hand. She could see him moving around in the glow of the police computer screen but it wasn't until he got back out to retrieve his knife, dressed in the uniform, did Jayde finally realize what he was going to do.

"Oh my god…" she mumbled, pushing the car back into drive to go and meet him at the edge of the parking lot as the police cruiser drove over with Joker behind the wheel. She could hear him laughing before he even rolled down the window.

"Joker!" she cried hoarsely. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Well, I'm about to rob your pal 'Nesto!" he answered with a huge grin, dramatically straightening the officer's silver badge over the lapel. Jayde watched him tie his hair back, unsure of where to even begin trying to argue him out of this. "Go to the hotel and wait until I call you." This was all he said before the window rolled back up and the tail lights of police car number 97 sped off in front of her and disappeared down the main street. Jayde sighed heavily, glancing around before she followed hesitantly.

Joker watched behind him for a ways, making sure Jayde was taking the right turns to go back to the hotel and once satisfied that she was obeying him, he turned his attention back to the road. Ernesto had promised to meet Jayde along the back side of a small movie theatre in the dumpy part of town in a black Cadillac CTS. He had also told her to look for the red sticker placed on the back window…so Joker had his eyes peeled. The radio inside the car kept going off with all the talk from the other officers but he ignored it, his eyes now trained on the back of a black Cadillac he had spotted a couple cars in front of him.

The sticker, true enough, had been stuck on the back corner of the window so as soon as the light turned green, Joker reached out, punching the button that triggered the loud sirens and lights. The powerful engine beneath the hood roared as Joker stepped on the gas, speeding up to cut around the cars before him until he was just behind the Cadillac. It slowed immediately, forcing quiet giggles from Joker as they pulled off the road and into the movie theatre parking lot.

Upon applying the uniform just a few minutes prior, Joker had replaced the police issued Gloc with his fifty-caliber Desert Eagle and was now stroking it lovingly as he paused for effect before climbing out to look around. They were completely alone in the dark corner of this parking lot; the conditions could not have been more perfect. The handcuffs on the back of the police utility belt jingled as Joker strode toward the driver's window casually

Having adopted the officer's cocky attitude, Joker placed a hand on the top of his gun haughtily as Nesto rolled down the window, looking guilty as hell.

"You know why I pulled you over?" he asked deeply, arching an eyebrow as he peered down into the car pretentiously. It was taking a lot to keep from laughing; Joker loved playing 'cops'.

"Uh…No, I wa-n't doin' nothin' wrong, sir." Nesto replied a bit shakily as Joker backed up a step, looking along the length of the car suspiciously.

"Go ahead and step out for me." he replied, playing his part perfectly as he wagged a finger at the young guy, motioning for him to get out of the car. "Any…uh…illegal substances in the car?" he asked again as Nesto got out slowly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nah, man." he answered, but blinked furiously as Joker suddenly shined a flashlight in his eyes, peering at his pupils.

"I think you're lying." Joker immediately stated, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder to turn him around. "Hands back here, guy."

"Man, this is fucked up. I'm calling my lawyer the second we get-…" he grumbled as Joker linked the handcuffs around both of his wrists. Joker cut him off, shoving him into the backseat of the cop car rather forcefully before slamming the door in his face.

With his flashlight out, Joker opened the back door to the car and found immediately what he had been hoping for. A small, black duffle bag sat innocently on the backseat and upon opening it, Joker grinned. Inside, sat a gallon zip-loc bag full of marijuana, on top of which sat a smaller baggie of white powder. He laughed, taking the bag to turn and hold it up. Nesto had been watching intently through the window and was now cussing loudly behind the plated glass when he saw what the 'officer' had found.

After closing the doors to the car, Joker climbed back into the police car's driver seat and laughed as he set the bag in the seat next to him.

"So you _were _lying to me." Joker began, peering back at him over his shoulder through the metal grates. "That's alright. I was lying to you too. I'm not a police officer." He explained cheerfully, pushing the car back into drive to pull onto the main street. A pause came from the back seat.

"What? Seriously? So let me go, man! Shit, what do you want? You can take all that shit with you, just let me go." Ernesto argued, sitting up further in the seat to press his cheek against the grates. "Seriously-"

Joker shook his head adamantly, laughing. "No, see…I'm a good guy, Nesto, I really am. So…" He paused, glancing back with a sinister grin. "I _am_ gonna take your shit, but I'm also gonna do a little…good deed for the boys in blue...."

For nearly ten minutes, Ernesto pleaded with Joker, who texted Jayde to come pick him up on the steps of the county courthouse, through the metal mesh, frantically looking out through the window at his surroundings until the cop car pulled up in front of a large building marked 'Billings County Courthouse'.

"Ah, no way, man!" Nesto immediately cried as Joker got out, taking the baggie of cocaine, worth about ten years of jail time, around to the back seat where the dealer was seated. "Are you fuckin' serious, man?!" he was yelling, backing up to the other side of the car while Joker opened the door, taking a tiny pin from the hem of the officer's uniform.

"Shhh…Shhh…" Joker consoled, leaning completely inside the car, to snatch a handful of Nesto's shirt and drag him closer. "Listen…" he instructed, holding up a finger while both silenced. Just under the sound of the engine, Nesto and Joker could hear yelling and thumps coming from the trunk behind them. While Joker's lips spread into a massive grin, Nesto's eyes widened. "See? You aren't alone. Officer Brady is back there with ya." Joker went on to explain nonchalantly while he pinned the bag of coke to Nesto's shirt. "Besides, I'm sure a couple officers will be out here in the morning to uh…assist you inside." With another flash of his crazed grin, Joker reached back in the front seat for the big bag of weed before he flipped on the flashing lights and trotted down the steps with the duffle bag over his shoulder toward the rumbling, waiting Corvette.

The entire ride back to the hotel, Jayde tried not to flat out bitch at Joker for robbing Nesto and stealing a police car but she definitely made it known that she was not thrilled with the plan he arranged.

"We did not have to do all that. It would have been so much easier to just meet him and give him more money for however much that is." She argued lightly, not wanting to make Joker mad, although he seemed very pleased with himself at the moment. He giggled, running his hand through his hair after he had taken the hair tie out.

"Yeah, but that was _so _ much fun."

**Author's Note**: GUYS!!!! I am so sorry about the longest wait ever but I promise the next one is coming much much sooner. I've already got some of it written. So leave your thoughts and comments and to everyone who is still with this story, thank you! Oh, and I've got the ending alllll figured out and I think everyone will be really pleased……


	29. Homeward Bound

Author's Note: WOW. Another long wait, guys. I'm sorry. I came down with pneumonia recently and just haven't had the time or energy to write. But I'm back on it now so (I know I've already said this but…) the wait should not be that long again. I hope you enjoy!! We're only 2 or 3 chapters from the end! And I'm still deciding on that sequel. Give me your thoughts!! Thanks, guys!

Jayde had just plopped down onto the bed with a loud sigh when Joker stepped inside after her and she could not help but gasp quietly. He was not paying attention to her at the moment as he searched for something so Jayde took the second to take in the sight of him in the police officer's uniform. It looked as though it had actually been made for him, tight enough in the right areas, such as his arms and shoulders. The crisp black slacks made his legs appear even longer and Jayde could swear he looked a little taller as he moved past her toward the bags.

She blinked as he spoke, disrupting her staring contest with his defined arms in that uniform.

"Do you know how to roll a blunt?" he asked, sitting down across from her at the table next to the bed. A box of cigars rested on the table after he had set them there. Jayde shook her head and Joker sighed, closing his eyes slightly. "Useless….absolutely useless…" he murmured, pulling the big bag of green drugs toward him. Jayde frowned, standing up to sit across from him.

"I'm guessing you do." She stated, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched Joker dump some of the weed out onto the table. He grunted, letting out a short laugh.

"Like a professional." Was all he replied, smirking down at the cigar he was now splitting, preparing to dump the tobacco out. "If I had a nickel for every blunt I've rolled, I swear…" he mumbled again, his voice trailing off.

Jayde watched him for a moment before she sat up, sighing. "You know, it's kind of a shame that you can't wear that uniform all the time, Joker." She stated bluntly a few seconds later, laughing when Joker's eyebrow shot up into a dangerous arch and he looked up from what he was doing.

"Come again?"

"No, it's just that it looks really good on you…" she paused, meeting his eyes. "It's…strange but…I like it." Joker stared back at her with squinted eyes, his head cocked to the side slightly.

"So, wait…Are you calling me sexy?"

Jayde laughed, leaning back in the chair. "Yeah, I guess I am." Joker's lips thinned into a snide grin as he brought the blunt to his mouth to wet it.

"You _naugh-ty_ girl. Got a thing for bad guys in uniform, huh?" he asked, glancing from his hands to Jayde and back again as she smiled, rolling her eyes.

"More or less." She replied.

Twenty minutes later, Joker had rolled six blunts back to back and was now leaned forward in the chair, inspecting his work with a proud grin. Once satisfied that they all looked even, he looked up at Jayde, raising his eyebrows. "Are you going to smoke this with me?" he asked plainly, pulling one of the cigars from the row as Jayde took a deep breath, resting her elbows on the table to rub her eyes.

"It's been so long…I wont be able to finish it with you." She answered honestly with a slight laugh, watching the flame from the lighter in Joker's hand ignite the tip of the blunt. He grinned, taking a long drag from it before he held it out toward her, inhaling deeply.

"I don't think I'll have any problems finishing it alone, kiddo." Joker leaned back in the chair as he replied, little puffs of smoke exiting his nose and mouth with each word. Jayde watched this, laughing slightly as she took her first, rather small hit before handing it back to Joker. He took it, smirking.

"You don't really strike me as a stoner, Joker, I'll be honest." Jayde stated moments later, shrugging when he looked over, hitting the blunt.

"Because I'm not a 'stoner' and I never have been." He answered, holding up his fingers for quote signs as he lifted his feet to prop them on the bed across from the table. "There are just some situations where I feel a little dopey, lazy high is appropriate…" Joker paused, handing it back to Jayde. "And honestly, as much as it physically _pains_ me to say it…I miss Gotham." He shrugged. "And this will shorten the feel of a two day drive by _a lot_."

Jayde handed back the blunt, blinking a couple times as her eyes began to feel a little warm, almost fuzzy. Across from her, Joker still looked normal but was puffing on the blunt gently before pulling it away to look at it, still inspecting his work. She grinned when she noticed how the smoke clouding his face was drifting up through his curls, making it appear that his acid green hair was actually smoking.

"Ya know…" he began, handing it back to her. "Selling this stuff was how I got into this glamorous life-style of mine."

Jayde's eyes widened in partial surprise when she looked to him to find him smirking. "Really?" she asked, leaning on her elbows on the table. "I thought you had just…started killing everything." Joker let out a short laugh after he had taken another drag from the blunt.

"No…No…I started selling weed when I was fifteen." He paused, searching his brain. "I had already killed someone but I was twelve and considered it an…'accident'." Jayde stared at his eyes as he watched the swirling smoke trailing from the lit end of the blunt. "It wasn't though. I just didn't realize at the time-…" his voice trailed off but she stayed quiet, hoping he would keep going. He handed the blunt back to her, glancing at her fingers when she took it from him.

"Weed got old though…" he did continue although several long, silent seconds later. "…and _cheap._ I owed people money so I started selling coke too…" his eyes rose to the ceiling before he continued, rocking his head from side to side as he reminisced. "…and pills…and ecstasy…and then eventually heroin and acid." He chuckled. "I was a very…_well-off _young man…"

Jayde stared blankly at him, listening to every word but was definitely high at this point so she could only sit there and watch him talk. When he stopped, she sat up slowly, blinking. "So why did you stop?" she asked finally, once her brain caught up and Joker smirked, leaning forward to take the blunt back from her.

"I got tired of it." He paused, looking up from the now small cigar to Jayde. "Plus, through selling, I had started killing…_That _became my uh-…specialty." He shrugged, resting his hand on the table with the cigar between his fingers. "-Suppose you could say I developed a little…addiction."

After his words, a heavy silence hung in the room and at this point, Jayde's brain had run out of things to say so she stood up, reaching out for the pack of cigarettes next to Joker's elbow. A second later, she jumped when Joker's hand grabbed her wrist, pinning it to the table. His gaze rose from her fingers to her eyes.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, staring up at Jayde as she blinked at him, the foggy high leaving her brain for just a second to allow a twinge of fear to register. It had been quite a while since her stomach dropped to around her ankles when he touched her but something in the way he had just grabbed her took her mind back to the very first time she saw him, that night at Starbucks. She supposed it could have been the high but as she spoke, her voice still wavered slightly.

"I'm just going outside for some air. I haven't smoked in a long time." She explained rather carefully, swaying a bit as Joker's fingers released their tight grip slowly. A moment later, a random wave of something near sobriety passed her and she grinned at him sweetly, turning her hand over to grip his wrist instead. "Come outside with me when you're done." She added, standing to her full height when she noticed the look in Joker's eyes soften and he nodded once, leaning back in the chair.

Lighting the cigarette once outside, Jayde took a deep breath, leaning against the railing just across from the door in the dark, upper corner of the complex. She smiled to herself, thinking of Joker. Being around him almost felt like taming a lion sometimes. He was so used to being aggressive, mean and suspicious that she had to go out of her way at times to assure him she was not running away or stealing something of his or talking about him. In a way, she liked it, but more often than not, it scared her when Joker randomly treated her like she was still his 'captive'.

It seemed like only seconds had passed since she stepped outside, when the door behind her opened and the warm light from the lamp inside momentarily flooded the porch. It closed again and two big hands slid onto her waist from behind, gliding along the inches of tummy her sweater failed to cover. She sighed, shutting her eyes to lean back against Joker as a warm, comfortable feeling flowed through her body from the places he was touching her.

"Hellooooo there…" he murmured against her neck, burying his nose into her hair to take a deep breath. Jayde almost moaned a moment later when his fingers squeezed her tightly, sliding upward along the curve of her hips, on up to her waist to frame her ribs. It seemed all of her senses and nerve-endings were tingling at the same time and for a moment she felt as though she were practically vibrating. Whatever pleasure she felt from his touch normally was magnified ten-fold when she was under the influence and as his thumbs dug into the middle of her back gently, she rolled her head back, letting out a soft, suppressed whimper.

Joker was grinning behind her, watching from above as she practically melted in his hands, her body lazily reacting to his touch, following his fingers with her hips. It was obvious that Jayde was pretty torched but at the same time…so was he. He knew exactly what affects THC had on the body so he knew that even just the simple act of rubbing her back felt absolutely orgasmic to her. His curiosity began to get the better of him again so he leaned down slightly, moving her hair to the side to see just how far he could push her.

Jayde's hips bucked slightly, almost instinctually, when Joker's lips made contact with the curve of her neck, pursing gently just below that particular sensitive area below her ear. His lips curled into a smirk against her skin before he kissed it again, lighter. From experience, Joker had learned that this spot on the neck was by far, the most prone, the most weakening to a female, like some sort of button that immediately clouds them with a deep, lusty haze. Even just then, he had only just lightly kissed it, just a peck and he could practically feel Jayde crumble in his hands. He could probably take this wherever he wanted at this point.

His lips had parted at some point and Joker found himself tracing his tongue along the bite marks he could not remember making. Opening his eyes, he blinked, moving his hands, only to look down in partial surprise when he found that they had tucked themselves _pretty_ far down the front of Jayde's jeans. He grunted a laugh against her skin, pulling them out to frame her hips again. That was just one of the things he loved about weed. It felt as though he had just taken a mental vacation, even just for five minutes. His mind had seemingly left his body on some random thought but apparently, he had kept moving, aimlessly, touching her.

Joker took a deep breath, resting his chin on the top of her head once he had pried himself away from her neck. Already, he felt a little warm and fuzzy from the highly inappropriate way Jayde had just been digging her ass into the front of his pants so he closed his eyes, putting a couple inches between them. He lazily began rocking back and forth, losing himself again as he struggled ineffectively to focus.

This was _the_ position, he thought foggily to himself. Standing behind Jayde or really any female like this was the perfect position for his hands to reach around and for his fingers to slide up and curl around her neck, all while he's kissing that one sensitive spot. She would never see it coming. He would have the knife out and through her skin and she would probably never even realize one of his hands had stopped touching her. This was not speculation, however; Joker had seen it done once or twice…

Once again, his eyes opened but this time, Joker came back to find himself with one hand down the front of her pants again, the other curled gently around her neck. His deep laugh sounded more like a carnal grunt as he used his lower hand to tug her hips back hard against him. Jayde moaned, tilting her head back as Joker's other hand tightened it's grip around her neck. He laughed again, pressing his lips against the top of her ear.

"Do you know how easy it would be to kill you right now?" he asked quietly, loving the way Jayde's lethargic body tensed slowly. "I can't believe you trust me."

Jayde swallowed, her eyes closed as she still rested against his chest, her body relaxing. "I'm not afraid of you, Joker." She answered, her voice low and quiet but firm and strong. "If you wanna kill me, do it now." Joker blinked, looking at her sideways from her shoulder where his chin came to rest again. He grinned a moment later, moving closer to her neck to kiss her there.

"Jayde, I don't wanna kill you." He cooed, throwing kisses in every couple of words. "I've gotten to know you and I kinda like you, ya know?" Jayde whimpered, tilting her head back as Joker's hand again slipped down into the front of her jeans, but this time, into her underwear to touch her lightly. She gasped, arching her back as he pushed the tip of his finger against her clit, at the same time, his tongue slipped out to lightly trace that sensitive area on her neck. It was getting more and more difficult to keep her knees from buckling when he continued to touch her, now tracing his fore-finger along the line of her underwear. Joker had taken to kissing her neck again, slowly, gently and Jayde was just about to rock her head to the side to give him more room when a freezing cold, metal feather just barely graced against the other side of her neck. She froze as Joker began to laugh at feeling her tense against him.

"But Jayde, just because I don't _want_ to doesn't mean I _couldn't_…because…I obviously, very easily could."

Jayde's eyes opened around six hours later to a dimly lit, perfectly clean hotel room that she could barely remember stumbling into the previous night. The drafts against her head told her that there was a good chance most of her hair had come free from the ponytail and was more than likely in fifty different positions. But she was just in the process of lifting her head and hand to check the state of damage when her eyes shot open fully to take in the sight of the empty hotel room around her. Joker was not in the room but from the look of the surroundings through the window, she was still in their same room. Except all the bags, all the guns, and their clothes were all gone.

Her stomach clenched up as if she was about to be sick but Jayde fought it as she jumped up off the bed to run to the door. Her hand had just grabbed the knob when it opened to reveal the tall Joker, grinning. When Jayde exhaled loudly in relief, Joker's grin expanded further as he stepped into the room.

"Oh, lover, did you think I had left you?" he asked, reaching his hands out to take hers as she grinned, shaking the loose half of her curls from her face.

"Yeah, for a second." She answered, glancing around. "Where is everything?"

Joker was now leading her through the door, taking his hand from hers only to pause and lock the door behind them. "It's already in the car. Now go and give 'em the key back then let's get outta here, hm?"

When Jayde returned from the office, several minutes later, Joker was already in the car with it rumbling, waiting with his arm hanging out of the open window, drumming his fingers on the purple door. She grinned when she was reminded of a dog awaiting a really exciting car ride. As she sat down in the passenger seat next to him, she laughed quietly, looking over at him.

"You're pretty home-sick, huh?" she asked, grinning further when he nodded with a shrug.

"I guess you could call it that…" he answered, but paused a second later, squinting as he backed out of the motel parking lot. "…More like…mass-chaos-sick…my-own-bed-sick…Dotcom-sick…"

Jayde gasped, looking to Joker as he gasped as well, looking shocked. "What? You're actually admitting you miss Doctom?" she asked, laughing when Joker scowled at her, holding a finger up threateningly.

"Yes, but don't you dare tell him I said that." He warned, turning his attention to the street. "I would hate for him to develop some sort of queer crush on me…I'd probably have to put him down." Jayde scoffed, rolling her eyes as she swung her hand out to smack his leg.

A quiet and boring hour later, Joker and Jayde had made it through Billings, back out into the hills and countryside highways leading them back out of Montana. Jayde's eyes were starting to burn slightly from staring at the passing trees but just as she blinked hard a few times, she heard the click of a lighter next to her. Looking over, Joker was driving almost ninety miles an hour _with his knee_, lighting a blunt. She gasped, reaching out for the wheel but Joker reached out for her arm faster, grabbing her wrist.

"Ah, ah! Don't touch that." He scolded, giving her a furrowed look. "You're not the driver of this car, _ma'am_."

"You're right. I'm the _owner_. So drive with your hands." She snapped rather hastily but clamped her lips together when she felt Joker's head turn to face her and she could practically hear the expression on his face although she didn't want to look at him. "Sorry…Just please drive safely."

A couple seconds of silence passed, following her words so Jayde glanced over to see Joker taking a drag off the blunt just before his hands jerked to the right, taking the steering wheel with them. A shrill scream left Jayde's throat on it's own accord as her hand flew out the window to grip the top of the car as though she were going through the window as the Corvette began to spin but less than a second later, they were going the same speed, except in reverse.

"What the FUCK, Joker?!" she screamed, her feet now up on the seat. "Turn us back around!" Looking over at him frantically, she found he was merely taking another drag from the blunt, smirking to himself snidely.

"What was that?" he asked, the smoke leaving his mouth in puffs. "I can't hear you."

"I said-" she began but Joker reached forward, turning the dial to the radio up so that a loud Metallica song came blaring through the speakers. And instead of turning the car around, Joker merely starting swerving them all over the highway, billowing up white, burnt rubber smoke from the back tires. Jayde screamed at the top of her lungs, so loudly, she could barely hear Joker laughing beside her.

A moment passed where Jayde's terrified mind dared her to look over only to find Joker was again driving with his knee and was now not even watching the road, _and_ they were still going in reverse. Her screams reached a whole new level as he merely watched her placidly, still toking on the blunt.

"Jayde, you may find this hard to believe, but I'm a pretty good driver. I've been in my fair share of high-speed chases." He shouted, above the music, finally flipping the car back around so they faced the right way and Jayde stopped squealing. "So how about you let me drive this beast the way I want to, hm?" he asked quietly after he had turned the music down, patting her knee twice. From then on, Jayde never said another word about his driving and instead went to taking some big hits off the blunt he handed her.


	30. Transparent

Darkness had just settled around the Corvette as it zoomed along country roads, growling like some extraordinarily fast, purple creature. Jayde had just fallen asleep while Joker drove them into hour six. He was still going about ninety miles an hour and had absolutely no intention on stopping, however his bladder was starting to tell him he might eventually end up needing to. He sighed when he saw a sign for a rest area in five miles. Of course, Joker had no problem going on some tree or a shrub somewhere on the side of the road, however he had a feeling Jayde would not be so compliant with the idea.

Another ten minutes passed them and the rest area signs became larger and bolder, indicating that it was approaching on the right, so he began slowing down to pull off and stop. Jayde was still asleep but once the car stopped in a parking spot, Joker reached over, shaking her knee until she stirred with a soft moan. Lifting her head from it's place on the window, she blinked slowly a few times at her dark surroundings, frowning slightly.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily, looking up at him.

"I had to pee and I figured you did too so we stopped." He explained, looking around. His eyes fell onto a sign that read 'No security guard on duty at night' posted just before the walkway leading to the restrooms. _Oooh, I'm so scared. _He thought mockingly to himself as he climbed out.

The inside of the men's bathroom was absolutely heinous and smelled like urine that could have dated back to the civil war but Joker was in and out in under three minutes, although messes never usually bothered him; smells, however, did. He had just stepped outside and was replacing the soiled oxygen in his lungs with fresh outdoor air when Jayde came around the corner, a sour look on her face.

"I think someone gave birth in there." She commented, joining him along the walkway back to the car. Joker laughed, nodding as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"The men's was bad too…" he added but paused, turning back to look at the small cabin-like structure, cocking his head to the side. "Wanna blow it up?" Jayde laughed, grabbing his arm.

"No, let's just keep going." She replied.

Back at the car, Joker opened the trunk for Jayde to find her bag and dig out her sweatshirt since she had no pillow and he was just in the process of leaning against the side of the car when a man dressed in black rounded the front of the car, rushing him with a knife in hand.

"Give me the keys and your wallet!" he demanded roughly, holding the knife at Joker's throat with a trembling hand. When Joker hesitated, he practically shook with rage, forcing the knife closer. "NOW!!" Joker leaned back, scrunching his face up in disgust. However, a moment later, he began laughing, reaching up to smack the man's hand away from him roughly.

"C'mon, guy, really? You're gonna try and rob _me? _…With _that_ dinky little thing?" he laughed again, shaking his head. "You have a gun?" The man was so taken back, he shrugged hastily, still shaking with his anger and now confusion.

"N-no." he answered. Joker nodded, reaching behind himself.

"Oh, because _I_ do." He now was no longer laughing and had pulled from behind his back his small, silver handgun. "On your knees." The man moved slowly, lowering to his knees as his hands raised. "Give me this pathetic excuse you have for a knife." He growled, snatching the box cutter from the man's hand.

The whole time this was happening, Jayde was watching from the trunk in full amusement, amazed that even when the man had first run up, she had not been frightened at all. In fact, she found the whole situation pretty funny.

Joker scoffed loudly when he examined the 'knife' in his left hand, inspecting it. "This thing is garbage. You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself. Now, apologize to my lady friend for frightening her." He scolded the man as if talking to a child, nodding his head toward Jayde. The man looked toward her, trembling now as he knelt in front of the Joker.

"S-sorry?" he stammered, glancing up at the tall man in front of him.

"Good…Now, apologize to me, because quite frankly, I'm a _little _insulted." he demanded, leaning down slightly toward the man. Jayde could see their attacker's lips moving from where she was standing although no noise was coming from his mouth. However, when he hesitated, Joker cleared his throat dramatically, cupping his ear toward the man.

"I-I'm sorry?" he stammered but apparently this did not suit Joker as he sighed, tossing his arms.

"That's not a very good apology, sir. But you are _really _starting to aggravate me so-…" and with that, he placed a bullet between their attacker's eyes and sighed once he had fallen to the ground. "There are just no decent criminals anymore, ya know?" he asked of Jayde, looking at her over the roof of the car, meanwhile side-stepping the body. She shrugged.

"I guess not, Joker."

After the excitement at the rest stop, Jayde was finding it difficult to drift back off to sleep but luckily she had brought up the blanket she stole from the hotel and her sweatshirt so she set to it, making up a makeshift bed for herself. But once she got comfortable and warm, her eyes fell onto Joker beside her, his face dimly illuminated by the blue glow from the CD player. He seemed at ease but Jayde was so warm and comfortable, it almost seemed unfair that he had to sit up and drive. She reached out, sliding her hand over his on the gear shifter.

"You know, if you want to switch and sleep, I don't mind driving." She cooed, hoping he wouldn't think she was accusing him of being tired or that she was afraid he would fall asleep driving. Instead, he smirked, clearing his throat with a nod of his head.

"I'm fine. Sleep." This was all he needed to say for Jayde to crank the seat back and close her eyes, smiling to herself.

It was tough at first. Every time she would close her eyes, they would practically pull themselves back open. It seemed her mind was on override except she could not pin one particular thought down. She had been thinking earlier about getting back to Gotham and wondering whether or not Joker was actually going to let her back in her apartment to get more of her things. She thought it would be a bit strange if he didn't but then again, Joker and strange were practically synonymous. It didn't seem as though she would be needing much; just her shampoo and toiletries, possibly her makeup and a few other articles of clothing. Then again, she would need shoes and preferably a few of her books. Her laptop would be nice as well…

All these things Jayde was considering but while her mental checklist grew longer, the more she realized it seemed unlikely that Joker would want all of her stuff in his house. Granted, he treated it exactly like a home, with his belongings and Dotcom's but then, what if something happened to them? She would be alone in that mansion with no idea how he was connected with the people who owned it, who would definitely come around if the Joker were caught or worse, killed. She squeezed her eyes shut at that notion.

Beside her, Joker cleared his throat, shifting in the seat slightly. She looked to him, her eyes falling onto his back-side profile from her place slightly behind him with the lowered seat. He was not wearing makeup and in the light from the stereo, his right scar twitched slightly. She grinned, trying to imagine him without the scars. It was obvious that he was attractive, since she found him that way even with the damn things on his face, but she had a feeling before they were there, Joker was a regular lady-killer…literally. She could imagine, when he was younger, how the girls used to stare and flirt with him, how he probably just chose from the small gaggle the one he liked best. Her face fell a moment later when her mind took her to a place she never really expected it to go; just how many women had Joker slept with? How many virgins just like Jayde had the Joker or…Kieron as their first? She shut her eyes again.

Joker had just looked back when she opened her eyes a few moments later. He smirked. "Can't sleep, huh, kid?"

"Not really. I guess I'm not that tired. Do you have any sleep tricks? Like counting sheep or something?" she asked, hoping that somewhere in Joker's wide range of random knowledge, he had the perfect trick for bringing on sleep. He laughed, shaking his head.

"No, Jayde. If I can't fall asleep, then I _do _something. Doing things make me tired." He answered, grinning when he could just picture her rolling her eyes from where she was laying. "But I guess you _could_ try counting backwards from one-hundred. That worked for me as a kid." He added a few moments later. "Or you could just sit up here and annoy me." Jayde grinned, deciding that his last suggestion sounded much better than the one before it.

"Do you have any quiet music? I mean anything that isn't rock or just…noise?" she asked, reaching behind her for the large, black binder Joker had his CD's in. He let out a loud, short laugh.

"HA! No, it's all either rock or rap, sweetheart, sorry." He answered, shaking his head. Jayde watched him grin, one eyebrow raised.

"Joker, do you seriously listen to rap? You have _rap _in this binder?" she asked a second later, looking up at him as he glanced over, frowning.

"Yeah, I do. But probably not the rap you're thinking of." He explained. "You're thinking of the…the…garbage shit that these fools come out with nowadays. The booty-smackin', hoe-slappin'…_garbage. _I listen to rap about gangs and killing people and drugs." He paused, looking over to see if her facial expressions would tell him she was understanding what he was saying. "You know, the good, old kind?" He continued when all Jayde did in response was stare at him as if he was crazy. Her lips slowly curled into a grin before she turned her attention to the radio.

"I swear, you continue to amaze me, Joker. You really do…" she murmured quietly but Joker must have heard her as he leaned forward slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in a tone that dripped seriousness and when Jayde looked over at him after she had settled back into her seat, the expression on his face was bereft of any smile or smirk. She shrugged, reaching out to place her hand on his forearm and rub downward toward his wrist while her eyes followed her movement.

"It doesn't _mean _anything." She answered. "I guess you're just a lot different than I expected you to be." When Joker's eyebrow arched, Jayde grinned, immediately continuing. "-Not that I expected to run into you or that…this would happen but-…"

It was becoming apparent that Jayde was running out of things to say and was only confusing herself so she paused, taking a deep breath. Joker was definitely still listening as he kept glancing at her from the corner of his eye, that characteristic smirk tugging his scars; he found her frustration far too amusing to let her give up on her explanation.

"I guess I just expected you to be scary and mean all the time. I mean…you _are _scary and mean but…not to me." she paused, thinking over her next words wisely as her mind randomly flew back to their 'second date' as he had called it where she could clearly see in her mind's eye The Joker with her in his lap on the thirtieth floor of the Prewitt building. A grin pulled at her lips. "You're actually kind of a sweetheart, Joker."

A split second later, Jayde gasped, bracing her hands against the dashboard when Joker suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing the tires to scream on the asphalt. The car came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the lane they had been driving in but as Jayde looked over at Joker, confused, he turned in his seat to fully face her. He pointed his finger at her, the look on his face serious and stern.

"Take it back," he commanded. "Now." When Jayde hesitated, he placed his finger in the middle of her chest above the line of her shirt, his eyes widening slightly. "Jayde, you need to get something perfectly clear." He began, not even paying attention to the low wail of a passing car horn, honking at them for being stopped in the middle of the road; it was like Joker didn't even notice.

"I am _not _ a nice person. I _hate _people, I _hate _society, I _hate _the way people are brainwashed into their _pathetic, _puppet lives and…" he paused, looking down as he took a deep, steadying breath. "Jayde, I like you." He raised his eyebrows, leaning forward slightly as another car zoomed past, honking. "I…like…_you_." He repeated, tapping the middle of her chest again. "And the only reason I'm 'nice' to you is for that reason alone…the fact that you're my favorite human. So just do me a favor and try not to start imagining that you're softening me into a buttery, chummy pal. I'm still The Joker and I'm _definitely_ still gonna scare the _shit_ out of some people, now let's get back to Gotham so I can do that!"

The whole time he had been going through this somewhat long-winded explanation, Jayde had listened but was trying really hard not to grin. She already understood what he was saying and found his whole 'speech' a bit superfluous. Through the last bit of his rebuttal, his voice had been getting louder and louder until he practically yelled his last phrase but Jayde wasn't bothered by it. It was obvious Joker was going through some sort of 'chaos-withdrawal' so she decided to just not delve into her thoughts of him again until after he had gotten his fix.

When Joker turned his attention back to the road, he brought his foot down heavily on the gas pedal, causing the back tires to squeal sharply for a second before the powerful car took off again. Jayde glanced over but did so rather quickly, afraid Joker would lash out if he thought she was staring at him. Instead, her eyes moved to gaze unfocused through the window at the dark, passing surroundings and her head rested against the seat as she sighed. It seemed from the expression on his face and the depth of his scowl that Joker had slipped into another one of his foul moods, something Jayde was starting to learn to watch for. Immediately thereafter, it became obvious to Jayde that Joker was no longer interested in any sort of conversation, so she decided it was time to try sleeping again.

Jayde's eyes slid open five minutes later, but they immediately closed again, tightly, blocking out the streaming sunlight filling the Corvette. Apparently, she had not only slept for five minutes but rather six hours it seemed. She sighed sleepily, resting her head back down on the seat where she was lying in the same position in which she had fallen asleep; on her side facing the door. However, the longer she lay there with her eyes closed and the more she woke, the more she began to realize the car wasn't moving, she could hear birds chirping and Joker was no longer next to her.

Upon sitting up, squinting from the sunlight, Jayde found that the car had been parked behind a small diner of some sort, hidden behind a group of trees just off to the side of the interstate. Through the bright blur, her eyes found the lanky figure of The Joker, leaned casually against one of the tall pine trees near the front of the car. One of his hands held a cell phone to his ear while the other held a cigarette, smoking slightly in the breeze as he grinned, laughing into the phone. Jayde found herself smiling as she watched him take a drag of the cigarette before he laughed again, harder, doubling slightly from whatever the person on the phone had said. He had not noticed her watching him yet so she continued, grinning until his eyes flickered toward the Corvette. Her stomach turned over when his gaze met hers briefly before he looked down to drop the cigarette, trying to hide the smile on his face.

As Joker again spoke into the phone, Jayde was guessing that he was telling the person that he had to go for a moment later, he hung up, sliding the phone into his pocket to saunter over to the driver's side of the car. Jayde smiled sleepily up at him as he opened the door, leaning down with his arms on the roof.

"You're awake." He put simply, smirking. She nodded, raising her arms out in front of her to stretch with a groan.

"Yep." She replied. "Where are we?"

Joker stood up, tucking his thumbs into the lining of his jeans and belt to adjust their position on his hips. "Well, we're just over the Iowa state line." He answered, glancing around. "I'm starving and you were asleep so I made the executive decision to stop." When Jayde continued to gape at him groggily, he raised an eyebrow, leaning down slightly. "You're hungry." He then put, not as a question but as an answer. Jayde grinned. "Let's go break the fast, shall we?"

When Jayde and Joker rounded the front of the diner, a small family of foreigners was just exiting and chatting amongst themselves in what sounded to Jayde like French. However, when the family noticed Joker walking toward them with his scars and green hair, all talking ceased until after he and Jayde had passed but immediately started up again, louder and more fervent. Joker glanced at Jayde, smirking.

"They're probably just commenting on how strikingly handsome I am…" he murmured, opening the door for Jayde to walk through. "…probably wondering if I'm a supermodel…" Jayde laughed quietly, stepping through the door when he opened it for her.

Just inside the double doors to the small diner, a sign read 'Please seat yourself', so Joker placed his hand behind Jayde's back to lead her toward the very farthest booth from the door, along the front windows. A few scattered customers sat in the booths along their way, some glancing up as Jayde and Joker passed, their eyes flickering to his green hair before they looked away back to their meals. Joker either did not care or just pretended to not notice but Jayde hoped privately to herself that he would not make a scene like he did at Starbucks.

At the farthest end of the restaurant, they stopped at the last booth, just next to the locked fire exit and Jayde moved to sit in the far side, facing him as Joker sat across from her. With a sigh, she leaned back in the booth, resting her head against the wall behind her as she got comfortable. However, across from her, Joker seemed completely the opposite. As soon as he had sat down, his shoulders hunched slightly and his fingers immediately began drumming on the table; Jayde was also fairly certain that under the table, his knee was bouncing out of control. She decided not to comment at first and instead, waited to see what would happen.

After a few minutes, the waiter had not even walked up yet and Joker had already glanced over his shoulder toward the doors three times, obviously growing more uncomfortable by the second. Jayde continued to watch, feeling somewhat like a psychologist studying a patient. Finally, he suddenly stood up, motioning for Jayde to do the same. She obeyed instantly, but gave him a confused look as he pointed at the place he had just been sitting.

"You sit on that side." He grunted, sliding into the booth where Jayde had sat with a sigh. His head rocked to both sides as he cracked his neck and finally seemed to unwind when Jayde sat across from him, facing the other way now. When Joker's eyes slid to hers to find that lingering, confused expression still lurking in the blue, the corners of his own eyes wrinkled with a tight- lipped grin. His elbows rested on the table as he leaned forward, linking his fingers together in front of him.

"Ya see…" he began in a low voice, glancing at the door over the top of her head, pausing until Jayde leaned forward slightly. "I have this uh-…'phobia' about doors and public places…" Joker continued, glancing up again, but Jayde cut in.

"You have to sit so you can see it." She finished for him, grinning when he nodded slowly, pointing one finger at her. "Have you always been like that? Even as a kid?" Joker shook his head.

"It only started when I got good at sneaking up on people." He answered, smirking as his head turned to look out at the parking lot through the window. "I just don't want to meet the guy who's better at it than me." Jayde laughed but quieted as an older woman walked up to the table, taking a pad of paper and a pen from her waist apron.

"Well, hey!" she greeted them as if they were old friends she hadn't seen in a while. Her hand reached out to pat Joker's shoulder genially and he let her but Jayde had to stifle a laugh with difficulty when she noticed him flinch away from the hand slightly, his fake grin struggling on the line between 'grin' and 'grimace'. "How're you guys?" she asked.

"We're fine." Jayde replied, smiling as Joker occupied himself by fisting a napkin tightly in the palm of his hand.

After a few moments at the table, the waitress, who's name they had learned was 'Mary', walked away with their orders. The second she left, Joker exhaled heavily, shrugging when Jayde laughed, shaking her head.

It fell quiet at the table for several minutes, both Jayde and Joker looking opposite ways, at the parking lot, at passing cars on the freeway but it wasn't long before Jayde's curiosity once again got the better of her.

"So…" she began, leaning forward on the table. Joker copied her, linking his fingers together. "What happens when we get back to Gotham?" she asked. "I mean, now that we know I'm staying with you." Joker shrugged, taking a sip of the water Mary had brought them.

"I dunno…What happens when we get back Gotham?" he asked in return, raising his eyebrows. Again, Jayde could tell he hadn't thought about it. Leaning more forward, Joker cleared his throat, placing a finger on the table as his eyes followed it. "I don't make plans, Jayde. Life is more fun when it's a game of wait and see. So let's just wait…" he paused, his eyes raising to meet hers. "…and we'll see!" A second later, he finished his sentence with a flourish of his hand and Jayde decided not to bring it up again.

It was not long before Mary brought them their breakfast but with nothing left to talk about, Jayde stayed silent, munching pensively on her french toast. Upon arriving at their table, Joker had asked Mary to bring him a cup of black coffee, much to Jayde's surprise since she could remember Dotcom telling her that he hated the stuff. It came just a few moments later, steaming slightly and smelling wonderful as she set it on the table in front of him. Jayde smirked when Joker took a sip and cringed.

"I thought you hated coffee." She commented a moment later, taking a bite of syrup-y french toast. Joker nodded, stealing a piece of pancake from his fork.

"I do."

The rest of their meal was relatively quiet, with Mary stopping by every few minutes to double check on them. Jayde had finished her toast and was now gazing out through the window at the parking lot when she heard Joker sigh across from her. He leaned back in the booth, picking up his mug of coffee as one of his legs stretched out to rest on Jayde's knees across from him. At first, she jumped but grinned, reaching down to place her hand on his shin and give a slight squeeze.

"Full?" she asked, smiling at him as he nodded, cringing again after another sip of coffee.

"Perfect." He replied, running a hand through the front of his hair to move it from his face. "Now I just wanna-.." he never said what he wanted as a different, young waitress had just approached their table with a slip of paper. She looked to Jayde first.

"Mary asked me to drop your check off. She went on a break but I can take it from you when you're-" During her words, the young woman's gaze shifted to Joker's across from Jayde and her speech faltered as her eyes flickered over his scars. Joker was taking another sip of coffee and did not notice at first. However, the girl was obviously not well-learned on manners.

"Oh-…" she began. "Um…Did those hurt?" Jayde's mouth nearly fell open. _Great…_

Joker's eyebrows raised as he set his empty coffee mug down before turning his head to look up at the girl. "I'm sorry?" he asked, squinting as though he really did not understand her question. The young waitress glanced at Jayde, who did nothing but look at Joker. She brought her pen up, motioning to her own cheeks.

"Your uh-…those-…" she stammered, seemingly slowly realizing just how rude she was being. "D-did it hurt?" Joker's eyebrow arched as he glanced at Jayde.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he answered, the expression on his face giving the impression that he truly did not understand. "Is there something wrong with my face?" Looking across to Jayde for an answer, she shrugged, shaking her head.

"Not that I can see." She replied, trying not to grin as Joker continued to confuse the young woman.

"See? There's nothing wrong with my face. Now…" he paused, leaning forward to reach into the back pocket of his jeans. "Here's a twenty dollar bill. Our bill is eleven-fifty." He reached out, taking the waitress' hand to push their ticket and the money into it. "Make sure Mary gets the rest, alright?" he did not wait for a response. "Alright, now get outta here." Jayde arched an eyebrow…from the way he just spoke, it sounded almost like Joker had an accent. Instead of 'outta', he had just said 'atta', sounding, if anything, a little like a New Yorker. He didn't seem to notice and was now standing up from the table as the young waitress walked away quickly.

When Jayde stood to follow him to the front doors, Joker turned instead to the fire door and pushed it open, triggering loud alarms through the small building, raising a couple squeals from the ladies, just as he and Jayde stepped through it nonchalantly. She laughed as Joker shrugged again, not even sparing one glance over his shoulder as they made their way behind the building to the waiting Corvette.

The sun was centered directly over the car an hour later when Jayde looked to Joker as he yawned widely, stretching his scars. He groaned when he finished, his eyes blinking hard a few times as he settled more into the seat. From the look in his eyes, she could tell he was exhausted and after doing a bit of math, Jayde figured that Joker had more or less been awake for two days straight now and although she was positive he had gone longer on less sleep in the past, he was indeed driving with more than just himself in the car; Jayde considered herself precious cargo.

Unsure of how to bring up the fact that he should get some sleep without offending him, Jayde waited a few minutes, hoping the inspiration would hit her on it's own. Her eyes moved to gaze through the window where she began counting the cows in the passing fields distractedly. Five, eleven, seventeen, the numbers kept rising but as she reached thirty, a loud thunk, thunk, thunk tore her attention from the cows. Looking up, she saw that the car had seemingly drifted to the right and the thunking noise came from the tires hitting the plastic reflectors separating the lanes. Beside her, Joker was blinking hard again.

"Joker, if you're tired, you can just tell me." she said quietly. "I don't mind…"

At first, it seemed like he did not hear her but after he had considered it, he sighed, glancing in the rear view mirror, checking for people behind him before he slowed the car, pulling off to the side of the road, although it seemed a bit reluctant. Jayde tried not to grin as he groaned again, opening the car door once they had stopped to step outside while Jayde did the same. When she rounded the car, Joker had his arms over his head, stretching, giving Jayde the most perfect opportunity to wrap her arms around his middle. She took advantage of the moment, catching him before he could bring his arms down and she pressed her cheek against his chest, hugging him. With her ear against his chest, she could hear him yawn again as his arms met around her shoulders gently.

After only a moment though, he released her, stepping back slightly to let his gaze meet hers and for a second, his expression seemed frustrated, frowning slightly down at her as he looked from one blue eye to the other and back a few times. Jayde noted personally to herself then how much she liked that about him- how he looked at both eyes individually as if studying how they differed if at all. Those were the times when she felt like he could see straight through her.

The Joker's hand was slightly cold as he brought it up to her neck causing her to jump slightly. She had been so absorbed watching him look at her, barely even noticing the occasional rush of wind from a car passing on the interstate next to them, much less his hand. When she jumped, Joker's hand retreated slightly but went back, slower, more deliberate the second time, the backs of his fingers lightly gracing the side of her neck. Jayde stayed still, forcing herself not to just rise up on her tip toes and kiss him but wait and let him move at his own pace.

He appeared to be hesitating, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips a few times as they stood there, neither really noticing nor caring that they were still standing next to a freeway. There weren't a _lot _of cars but as two moving vans flew by in the lane closest to them, a strong burst of wind followed them, nearly knocking Jayde over. Joker's hands caught her elbows a second later, pulling her back to him, leaned against the hood of the car, where his lips met hers in one fluid motion, seemingly too choreographed to be true.

Tensed from her near fall, Jayde's body slowly relaxed against him as she returned the kiss but was just bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck when several cars honked at them as they passed. Joker growled against her lips as he pulled away, glaring after the cars murderously and she could not help but smile.

Upon getting back in the car, now having switched seats, Joker leaned it back, stretching out his long legs with another yawn. Jayde was in the driver's seat, adjusting it to her height when he spoke, his voice already heavy and groggy.

"Do me a favor, Jayde." He started but paused. When she didn't reply, he said her name again until she looked at him. "Stop at the first rest area after the Illinois state line and wake me up…Ok?" he ended slowly, nodding his head as his eyebrows raised. Jayde nodded an understanding, pushing the car into drive to pull back out onto the road.

For a while, Joker merely lay there with his eyes closed, somewhat surprised to find himself slightly irritated at Jayde. He was not really sure why since half of Iowa just saw him kiss her on the freeway but after thinking for a few minutes, he realized he was only mad at himself. Jayde could read him so easily back then and he cursed himself for letting it show. Joker felt weak with Jayde driving and one of his eyes popped open to look up at the back-side profile of her before he rolled both eyes, closing them again. A moment later, they slowly opened again, looking to Jayde. Who was he kidding…she's great.

Joker hadn't slipped; Jayde just knew. Jayde always knew and that's what Joker liked so much about her. She could always see straight through him.


	31. Another Note from QOM

HELLOOOOO!!!!!! WOW!! It's been a long time again…BUT do not fear!!! I am literally paragraphs away from finishing the next chapter. I apologize sincerely for the wait but within the next few days that chapter should be up! Thanks for stickin' with me!!!

- Queen of Mean


	32. One Town That Wont Let You Down

The road before Jayde vanished and reappeared as she opened and closed her eyes hard several times, straining to see through the bright glare from the mid-afternoon sun. Her temples hurt from squinting and she could feel a small headache beginning to form somewhere between her eyes. All of this she was complaining about, to herself, while Joker slept in the passenger seat, breathing quietly, his chest rising and falling slowly and evenly. He had fallen asleep soon after they had gotten back to driving and had not moved an inch during the two hours that had now passed.

Jayde glanced behind her at the lowered seat, grinning to herself. Secretly, when she had started driving, she had hoped to herself that Joker would fall asleep in some silly position with his mouth hanging open. Of course, he probably predicted this and opted to simply turn his face to the window and cover his eyes with his right hand. In fact, it looked as though he was awake and was just getting through the kind of headache Jayde was developing but from the way his chest rose and fell, it was obvious he really was down for the count. Further down the seat, Jayde's grin widened when she noticed that he had recently tucked one of his ankles under his other leg; his purple, high-top Converse now stuck out across the center console next to her.

It seemed like ages before the sun went down, taking the last of that annoyingly bright light with it, leaving only a cool, blue in its wake. Jayde's mouth had just closed after a large yawn when her eyes fell onto a sign that read 'Welcome to Illinois!', glimmering faintly ahead in the headlights. She smirked; finally, it was time to wake up the Joker.

It wasn't long before the rest stop signs began appearing, so Jayde maneuvered the car into the farthest right lane, slowing until her tires met gravel that crunched loudly as she pulled into the long parking lot. Luckily, the jolt from the street to the gravel did not wake him but merely seemed to rock his knee slightly as she turned the wheel, pulling the rumbling Corvette into a parking spot. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned to the passenger seat, reaching out to tap her finger on his chest a few times. Jayde jumped a second later with a slight gasp when Joker's hand flew from it's place shielding his eyes to her hand where he caught it in a tight grasp. He released her a second later, sighing as his head came back to rest on the seat. He cleared his throat slowly, closing his eyes.

"Are we in Illinois?" He asked in that deep, raspy, sleep-laced voice that bore just a slight twinge of that clowny after-tone. Jayde nodded, turning to face the windshield as she glanced down at her hand in her lap, the lingering touch from his grasp still tingling faintly. She supposed it was alright for her to be slightly unnerved by what he had just done but decided not to say anything, just in case he was cranky after his six hour nap.

As she reached for the door handle to get out and use the rest room to relieve her practically pulsating bladder, Jayde felt his weight shift beside her so she hesitated, letting her hand fall onto her knee. Just to the right of her, she heard Joker take a deep breath in before his head came to rest on her shoulder, exhaling heavily as he tucked his hands between his knees. Jayde's face split into the dumbest grin she had ever felt.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, reaching up to slide her fingers into the back of his messy curls, scratching his scalp lightly, grinning when he shivered, bouncing his knee a few times.

"Mmhm" he grunted back, sitting up to run his fingers through the front of his curls, cringing when his middle one found a knot. After he had untangled it, he turned to Jayde, raising his eyebrows as he glanced her over once. "You gonna go pee or what?" he asked, nodding when Jayde grinned and moved to get out of the car.

The restroom, in comparison to the last one, was much better, although not what anyone with sense would consider clean. The cool air outside stung the tips of her wet fingers as she stepped outside again, quickly wiping them off on her jeans. Once around the corner in view of the car, Jayde's eyes fell onto Joker's tall frame, half-leaning, half-sitting on the hood, his head bowed slightly as he scowled down at the dim light from the phone; even from where she was walking, she could see the expression on his face. She shared another smile with herself as she took a mental snapshot.

As she got closer, Joker put away the phone and took to biting his bottom lip as his arms folded over his chest. His eyes had drifted out to the rest of the parking lot behind the Corvette when he must have heard her walking and turned his head to bring his eyes back to her. She grinned but was not surprised when Joker did not return it but simply stared at her eyes with a serious expression on his face until she got within arms reach. Once she was close enough, he reached out, pulling her to him as his hands went behind her back to cross and wrap all the way around her and practically pick her up off the ground as he squeezed. That was when he returned the grin.

"_Hiiii_." He groaned in a deep, clowny voice as Jayde rose onto her very tip toes to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders.

"Hi." She replied, leaning into him. Then, she thought about saying 'you're in a good mood!' but decided to quietly bask in it instead. Joker took a deep breath, straightening his back as he let go of her. He exhaled, looking down at her as he let his long fingers curl around her hips.

"Ready to hit it again?" he asked, motioning to the car behind him with his head. "Except with me driving?" He added a second later, smirking at Jayde until he noticed her serious expression. She had just folded her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows when Joker squinted, cocking his head to the side. "Am I missing something?" Jayde did not answer but kept her expression the same until realization dawned over Joker's face and he nodded, standing to his full height from leaned against the car to loom over Jayde. "Oh, _I _ see…You think I'm supposed to kiss you." He grew closer until he was standing right up against her, looking straight down at her. "Is that what this is?"

The corners of Jayde's lips could barely stay the way she was willing them to and kept curling upward trying desperately to smile. She shrugged instead of speaking, staring straight ahead at the middle of Joker's chest. From her peripheral vision, she saw Joker's hands move to push eight of his fingers into the front of her curls until he pulled her head back to force her to look up at him. His eyebrows were raised.

"If you can't tell me you want me to kiss you, then I'm not going to." He murmured, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk when he noticed the frustration in Jayde's expression. She glanced down once before she looked back up, now fully grinning, unable to hold her lips anymore.

"You should probably kiss me, just in case I want you to." She finally replied, her stomach flipping over when Joker's smirk expanded into the most genuine grin she had seen on his face yet. His right hand moved to her face where he used his thumb to gently brush her bottom lip, parting it slightly from the top one to touch them both with his own. The tips of Jayde's shoes pressed into Joker's as she leaned into him, unfolding her arms to rest one of her hands on his chest while the other fell somewhere near his hip. Jayde's teeth bit down on a part of his bottom lip as he kissed her but a second later, Joker pulled back slightly, licking his lips as his eyes narrowed in a glare against hers. His hand remained in place but their lips were now separated by mere inches.

At first, Jayde was slightly confused, a little put off by him pulling away so abruptly but as the seconds ticked by, their eyes still locked, Jayde began to realize that Joker was actually being serious about this particular kiss. It was obvious that he wanted no games for the moment and that he simply wanted to kiss her so once she noticed this, her lips parted into a grin before she rose onto her tip toes, reconnecting their kiss. He hummed quietly in his chest in response, his fingers gliding further into her hair as the back of his legs met the hood of the car and their kiss deepened slightly.

Only a few moments passed from here before Joker pulled away, running his tongue along his bottom lip as his eyes opened to meet Jayde's. He sighed heavily, looking at her with some sort of expression that nearly mimicked frustration before his usual, stoic eyes returned and he cleared his throat. "Let's get outta here, huh?" he asked a second later, standing to move around her to the driver's side door, leaving Jayde a little more flustered than the time before.

The inside of the Corvette was still fairly warm as Jayde slid into the passenger seat next to Joker, who grunted when he settled into Jayde's previous seat. He scoffed, looking to Jayde next to him.

"Short enough?" he asked sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at Jayde as he cranked the seat back from being practically pressed up against the steering wheel with his knees on the dashboard. Jayde laughed, resting her head against the back of the seat to look over at him.

"Apparently."

Several times during the following half hour, Joker looked away from the road to type something on his phone only for it to beep a minute or two later when he received a return text message. Jayde watched this, admittedly a little curious of who he was talking to. It took a while for her to figure out how to bring it up without him feeling like she was invading his privacy.

"Wow, you're like a teenager with that thing." She finally commented after about the third or fourth text message coming to his phone. "You uh…sending naughty pictures to some hot chick?" she asked with a slight laugh, just so Joker would know she was…'joking'. He scowled but did not look over and instead put the phone down in his lap.

"No, Jayde. You're right here. Why would I need to send you naughty pictures?" he answered slyly, smirking to himself when Jayde turned to look out the window, hiding her grin. A few moments later, Joker cleared his throat. "I'm making arrangements for us to stop in a few hours and sleep somewhere. Don't fret." This only proved to make Jayde a little more confused but as she was learning, Joker only let her stay confused for a little while before his plans usually started forming and making sense.

The music she had put on earlier was still playing and looping quietly but she didn't mind and Joker didn't even seem to notice. Admittedly, she was tired and could probably sleep pretty soundly but if they were going to stop in a couple hours, there was no point in falling out now. So she yawned widely, leaning her head back against the seat to watch her surroundings fly by outside.

What seemed like five minutes later, Jayde was woken abruptly from her nap by the lurch of the car stopping and when she came to, her eyes fell onto a small, run-down convenience store to the right of the Corvette. At first, she felt as though she were dreaming, having fallen out even though she promised herself she wouldn't. But looking next to her, Joker had risen from the driver's seat, rounded the car, and was now moving slowly toward the front of the dark, condemned store.

At first, Jayde wasn't sure what the hell he was doing as his position took on the form of something like a lion watching a gazelle, his shoulders slightly hunched, his movements slow and precise as she watched him take a knife from his pocket and open it. Her mouth fell open slightly when she noticed two tall, black men standing to the side of the store, hidden by the shadow. Was Joker serious- one of him and two of them? Her first thought was that Joker did not notice that there was two but then again, she thought, what _didn't _ Joker notice? Her fingers slid to the lock on the doors as she watched him slink toward his prey.

The next few moments happened incredibly fast; Joker closed in on the nearest guy, hooking one of his arms to pull it behind his back while the other held the knife at his throat from behind. She could see the man stiffen instantly and just vaguely through the cracked window, she could hear Joker's threatening, clowny, deep voice.

"Move and I kill him." Joker told the other man standing there and he supposed he should have seen it coming, but the man proceeded to take off running in the opposite direction, around the other side of the store to the street. Joker scoffed, shaking his head. "Some friend you got, _Terrell_." He growled, grinning when his captive turned his head, one eyebrow arched.

"…-That you, Ki?"

From the car, Jayde's mouth fell open so hard it hurt when through the darkness, she saw Joker let go of the man, laughing only for the two of them to embrace in a manly, half-handshake, half-hug. So blown away by this, she shook her head, blinking several times, thinking that possibly she had not woken fully. But when Joker and his 'friend' began to approach the Corvette, Jayde stiffened.

The closer they got, their voices became more clear and both men were chatting amiably as if Joker had not just tried to jump him. Joker reached the car first, taking a step ahead to open the passenger door only to pause, his eyes meeting hers through the glass when he found it locked. Jayde allowed a sheepish grin onto her face in return, reaching to unlock the car.

The black gentleman with Joker had pushed his hands into his pockets but was now pulling them back out to shake Jayde's when she was introduced.

"Tre, this is Jayde. Jayde, this is…my 'Audrey', Tre." Joker said, practically beaming when his hand moved behind her back as she shook hands with who she now knew as Joker's 'best friend' of sorts. If she was honest with herself, Jayde hadn't really been sure Joker was capable of being best friends with someone. This thought crossed her mind as she sat back down in the passenger seat a few moments later, leaning back only to catch her own eyes in the side mirror, grinning when she then realized that, oh yeah…Joker was her best friend too…or at least becoming something like that.

Tre had disappeared for the time being, however, Joker had started the car and they were moving again. Jayde huffed, tossing her hands slightly.

"Ok, so _now _can I please know what's going on?" she asked a bit loudly of Joker who simply smirked in response. He paused before replying.

"You see the truck in front of us?" he asked, his glossy eyes focused through the windshield. Upon looking, Jayde noticed a large black truck in front of them, just pulling up to a red light before them. She nodded, again looking to Joker. "We're following Tre to his house. There, we're going to smoke a blunt or two, then you and I are going to sleep…Is that alright with you?" he tagged a bit of sarcasm to the end of his explanation but Jayde ignored it, resorting to a nod of her head.

Several minutes into their drive, Jayde began to notice they were headed into a large city of some sort, it's skyline illuminated with thousands of lights. Her nose wrinkled slightly.

"Where are we?" she asked, glancing at Joker next to her only to find he was smiling.

"That, my dear,-" he began, pointing straight ahead of them at the skyline. "-is Chicago. My favorite city in America." He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jayde as he shifted in his seat somewhat uncomfortably. "I was born and grew up here." Her hair whipped across her face a bit as she looked to him with more speed than she normally would have done, a bit thrown off by this information although it did explain that accent she had noticed earlier. She remained quiet however, hoping he would continue.

"I met Tre when I ran away from the orphanage. We were both thirteen and started making moves together, you know…selling weed, pills, minor stuff like that. Then as we got older, we got rich together." Joker paused, nodding with a grin. "Tre is good people."

It was not long before the purple Corvette came to a stop in front of a garage belonging to a small house and although the condition of the house was not the best, it really was no worse than the hotels they had been staying in; Jayde was too tired to be picky. Joker was now getting out of the car, walking to the trunk to get the two bags containing their clothes and things they were going to need. Jayde was yawning when she came around the car, meeting his path up the driveway just as Tre stepped out of the truck, turning to look at them.

"Ki, your girl is fine, I wont lie." He commented, leading them inside the dark garage toward the door to the house. Joker laughed, giving Jayde's side a quick squeeze as she grinned to herself.

"She is, isn't she?"

Just inside the small house, they were led into a dark kitchen that, once illuminated, was surprisingly clean. Taking a step forward to set her sweatshirt down on the small, round table, Jayde noticed that the wood had been carved away in certain areas forming small words, initials, drawings, and once she had taken it all in, she noticed the entire table was covered in etchings.

While she had been enraptured by the table, Joker moved past her toward the couch where he set their bags down, sighing as he stretched his arms over his head.

"I can't even remember the last time I was here, Tre." He commented to his friend as he accepted a glass of dark liquor from him.

"Yeah," Tre replied, pulling a chair out from the carved wooden table. "Last I saw your crazy ass, you were in all kinds of heat in Gotham, so it's probably been five years at least since you been here." He swirled the liquor in the bottom of his glass a few times before he pointed a finger at Joker. "You are one crazy bitch, Ki."

"Yes, sir, I am." He replied, clinking the rim of his glass with Tre's before downing the rest of his glass. After he had swallowed, his gaze shifted to Jayde, who had taken to gaping at him lazily in some sort of sleepy stupor. Instead of that usual irritated, itchy sensation Joker normally felt when someone watched him, he was mildly surprised to find he found Jayde's staring somewhat endearing. It was as if she was waiting on tenterhooks for him to turn and give her some sort of permission to go to bed. Joker smiled, raising his arm to rest it on the back of her chair behind her.

"Do you want to get a shower, love?" he asked gently, his grin expanding slightly when Jayde blinked slowly, nodding her head. "Alright, I'll show you." Rising from the table, Joker waited for Jayde to grab her bag from the couch before leading her down a short hallway to a small, tiled bathroom. He let her in ahead of him so he could stand in the doorway. "Be careful with the hot water..." he warned, raising an eyebrow. "It gets really hot if you turn it too far." Jayde nodded but before she could say anything to him, he had disappeared back down the hallway.

Twenty minutes and two more glasses each, Joker and Tre had just lit a blunt when Jayde emerged, tying her wet curls back, now dressed for sleep in pajama pants and long sleeved shirt. Joker smirked when she sat down next to him, sighing.

"Feel better?" he asked, handing the lit blunt to her. She took it, nodding.

"Yeah, but I'm still really tired." She answered, hitting it once before passing it to Tre across from her.

Jayde watched Tre for a moment as he smoked. He and Joker were about the same height and practically the same sort of build; long, lanky arms and legs but broad shoulders. It was apparent that the two of them made quite the team back when Joker lived there and it seemed that time and distance had not done anything to dampen their friendship. Since she and Joker had arrived at the house, the two of them had not stopped talking and laughing, reminiscing old times and old friends. But the more they talked and the more Jayde smoked, the more she began to realize that she really wanted to sit on Joker's lap, not to be cute, but rather to use him as some sort of cushion for her weary body. So she stood up from her chair to stand next to him until he noticed.

Tre was in the middle of a story when Joker looked up slowly, eyeing her up and down as if assessing what it was she wanted. Jayde met his eyes, hoping she would not have to interrupt Tre but luckily, Joker must have gotten the drift when she glanced down at his lap where one of his ankles was rested on top of his other knee and he pushed his chair back from the table slightly, still listening to Tre. Jayde grinned to herself as she sat down sideways in his lap and leaned her side against his chest; she had actually trained the Joker.

The blunt had made it back to them but Jayde no longer felt like smoking. Joker had slouched slightly in his chair, becoming a much more comfortable pillow for Jayde as her head fit perfectly on his shoulder against his neck. She closed her eyes against his shirt and neck, sighing contentedly. Tre had finished his story and Joker was now commenting, his voice sounding deep and raspy with her ear against his chest. If Jayde were honest with herself, she really did want to hear all their stories from their adventures but her brain was feeling extra fuzzy, leaving her exhausted. The sound of Joker's heartbeat was hindering Jayde's efforts to stay awake and after a couple minutes of fighting it, she gave in, allowing that heavy blanket of sleep to pull her under.

Tre was in the process of pouring Joker another half-glass of Hennessy when it slowly dawned on him that Jayde had not moved on his lap in what now felt like an hour. Joker blinked hard several times, consulting his watch. The liquor was having a mild affect on him and combined with the weed, it took a few extra seconds for him to register the time. It had just turned two in the morning and after a quick inspection, Joker came to find that Jayde was definitely asleep in his lap. He sighed, picking up his glass.

"Well, I'll admit one thing to you, Joker," Tre began, using Kieron's alias. "I've damn sure never seen you push back from the table to let no bitch sit on your lap." Joker shrugged, taking the last sip from his glass.

"This ain't no bitch, Tre."

After putting everything away and discussing morning events with Tre, Joker moved his arms to carry Jayde, one under her knees, the other behind her back before he stood slowly, taking her weight in his arms to carry her to Tre's extra bedroom. However, somewhere along the way, Joker's gait must have woken Jayde as she hummed softly against his collarbone but barely even realized she was being carried before she was set down on a bed gently. Joker soon followed, collapsing next to her on his stomach. He groaned, his chin, nose and mouth pressed into the soft comforter. Jayde sighed, turning over to try and see him through the dark.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked groggily, only for Joker to grunt a deep laugh.

"I'm not entirely sure, kiddo, but I _do _ know that somewhere during that time frame, I got a _little_ drunk." He admitted, turning his face to grin lethargically at Jayde. She returned it, reaching out to rub the back of his arm with the tips of her fingers. "I'm ready to be back in Gotham, Jayde." He continued a few moments later after a long, wistful sigh. Jayde scooted a little closer, leaving less than a foot between them as she reached out to move some of his green curls from the side of his face. Another heavy sigh escaped him and vaguely Jayde heard his purple Converse drop to the floor from the foot of the bed. She smiled, scooting just a little closer as he turned onto his side facing her to tuck one of his arms under his head. His eyes found hers through the dim light from the moon outside and his left hand's pointer finger moved to just gently touch the back of her arm.

"Ya know, Jayde…You're awfully unfair to me," he began, looking down at their hands. She frowned when he looked back up.

"How do you figure?" she asked. "I'd say I've been pretty nice to you, considering." Joker shook his head in response.

"No, no, no…Whenever I'm feeling…angry or…irritated, you do that…that smile at me and it makes me…less mad." He paused, closing his eyes to shrug his shoulders. "I wish you'd just let me be mad, Jayde."

A few moments passed after he finished speaking before Jayde slowly grinned, linking her fingers with his. "Is it bad that I like to smile at you?" she asked quietly, again trying to move closer to Joker without him noticing. He shook his head.

"No, it's just the _way _ you smile at me. It makes me feel weird." He unlinked his fingers with hers to fist his hand and bring it to the middle of his chest. "It makes my heart beat real hard." Joker's eyes had closed again and good thing; Jayde didn't want him to see the giant grin on her face. A moment later, he continued. "So if you could just…ya know…cut it out, that would be…" he paused to yawn, "…great."

"I'll try, Joker." She replied, now fully moving up against him, not caring whether or not he wanted this. But to her delighted surprise, Joker hummed in his chest, wrapping both arms around her to help her get close. They weren't anywhere near the top of the bed, but it didn't matter to either one; sleep was coming on whether or not they were under the blankets. As Joker sighed, Jayde left a soft kiss on the middle of his neck.

"Just think, Joker…Tomorrow we'll be back in Gotham." She murmured, scratching her nails against his chest. She could practically hear him smiling.

"I know…" he growled, squeezing her just a little tighter. "I can hear the screams now…"

_Author's Note: _ OMG!!!!! I'm so sorry about the wait AGAIN, guys n gals, but life is kind of crazy for me right now…so, you know…Only…2-ish(?) chapters left so stick with me guys!!! We're almost there!! Thanks to everyone for hangin in there. You all are the best.


	33. Animal

It could have been days, possibly weeks that Jayde and Joker slept on Tre's guest bed, curled up against each other, but when her eyes opened, it felt as though it had been minutes, yet she felt strangely refreshed. As she yawned, Jayde noticed that Joker was still in the same position once again, on his side with one arm under his head, the other draped loosely over her side. Vaguely, she realized then that they had somewhat developed a habit of falling asleep with each other, only to wake up in the exact same position. Her arms rose over her head as her back arched and the slightest of groans escaped as she tried to yawn quietly so not to wake the sleeping Joker.

Her head was still fit under his chin, although at some point, he had tilted his head back a bit, making his characteristic growling snore more pronounced than usual. Jayde grinned to herself, wanting nothing more than to wake him up with a soft kiss on the neck, but she thought better of it, figuring that he would rather sleep. So as slowly and quietly as she could, Jayde began wiggling down, sliding gently from underneath his arm. Seconds later, she stood up from the bed, glancing at his face to make sure he was still asleep, pleased when she noticed his features had stayed the same and his deep breathing was still even and slow. A grin slid onto her face as she turned to quietly leave the room; she kind of couldn't believe that worked.

The rest of the house was as she remembered it the night before; small, slightly cluttered but fairly clean. Her feet met a faded, burnt orange shade of somewhat shaggy carpet which felt nearly older than the house itself, along with the couch, which was a little worse for wear. Despite this, Jayde did not feel completely alienated here. Tre seemed nice enough and Joker definitely seemed more at ease around him and this home.

At the table from the night before, Jayde stood, her eyes wandering over all the etchings into the wood, wondering where she ought to start. She could remember sitting there previously, wishing she had the energy to stay up all night and look at all of it. Now, she felt refreshed and ready to take in this masterpiece of sorts.

As she sat down at one of the chairs, her eyes fell onto a small line which upon further inspection turned out to be something like a heart beat line from a heart monitor, with a small dash in between two high and low spikes. Her eyes followed it around the edge of the table until it formed a complete circle. Her lips parted into a grin; that was kind of neat. Further into the middle of the table, she noticed there were small groups of words put together into sentences and once she rose out of the chair a bit, she could make them out clearer.

"If you're good at something never do it for free", the first one read. Her eyes passed onto the next one, which read a bit longer. Some of these words, she noticed were carved in a bit thicker than the others and each line was centered directly under the one above it.

"Here come old flattop he come groovin up slowly.

He got joo-joo eyeball he one **holy** roller.  
He got hair down to his knees  
Got to be a **joker** he just **do what he please**"

Jayde grinned to herself, sarcastically wondering who that one was written by.

There were several places on the table where Tre and 'Ki' had carved their names in, sometimes linked together by what appeared to be the symbol for infinity. Just as Jayde was about to start coming up with possible reasons for the infinity symbol, the sound of a door tore her attention from the table to where Tre now stood, looking groggy, in the doorway to his bedroom. When he noticed her, he straightened up, locking his broad shoulders into place.

"Ay, girl." He greeted her in what sounded like a grunt but Jayde still smiled genially.

"Hey." She replied, looking back down at the table as Tre stepped into the kitchen, moving to the refridgerator to lean down and peer inside. Jayde looked back toward him, hoping something would happen or he would say something to break the somewhat awkward silence now settling over the room. However more moments passed by and Jayde just couldn't really take it any longer. "Can I ask you something?" she blurted rather abruptly, looking to Tre as he stood up with a bottle of orange juice in his hand.

His dark eyes looked to her before the corner of his lips turned up in a smirk that Jayde instantly recognized. She ignored it for the time being and continued when his expression told her to go on.

"Why do you call him 'Ki'? Is there a particular reason, or…?"

By now, Tre had reached the table and placed two glasses on it, one in front of her, the other in front of the empty chair across from her. He smirked that same smirk as Joker had mastered before he sat down, pouring a glass for Jayde, then one for himself.

"Well, his name is Kieron, but that's a lot to say, ya feel me? Especially when he lived here. Ki is just easier." He explained, then paused taking a sip of orange juice. "Plus, it's short for 'kilo'…and there was a time in our lives when he and I were moving nothing but straight kilos of dope everyday, making stacks everyday. So I just started calling him Ki."

Jayde nodded, taking a sip from her own glass. "I guess it's just strange to hear him called anything but 'the Joker'." She paused, grinning. "Although I do leave the 'the' off of there most of the time." They both laughed before that silence returned momentarily. Tre broke it this time.

"How did you…run into him anyway?" he asked, his gaze flickering down toward the cut on her face and Jayde sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, he stalked me for two weeks then kidnapped me and forced me to stay at his house." she replied, trying hard not to grin when Tre laughed, patting the table.

"That crazy bitch, I swear." He said, shaking his head. "That's my boy, though." Jayde smiled, looking down to twirl her glass.

"You guys don't strike me as very similar but it seems like that is kind of what makes your friendship work." She commented a moment later, looking up from the table to Tre, who shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean, I've always been more…tame than him…I mean..." he glanced over toward the closed door where Joker was sleeping before he looked back to Jayde with wide eyes. "_That _guy is a fucking animal." He murmured but leaned back in the chair a moment later, shrugging. "But he's my brother."

Jayde nodded in response, taking another sip of orange juice but Tre continued. "There was one time…we hired this one dude to run a bag to someone across town…loaned him a car, everything. All he had to do was bring us the money back and we would…you know…hook him up for his troubles, see?" By this point, Jayde was enraptured and convinced that Tre was possibly the best story teller she had ever met. He was one of those types, like Joker as well, who when they were talking to you, they were maintaining eye contact the entire time and did not particularly like it when you broke that to look away. Joker's true personality was definitely becoming more clear to her through meeting his 'brother' of sorts. Tre's story was still unfolding while she noticed all this.

"Both Ki and I knew this dude wasn't comin' back with no money and especially not that car. So…" he pointed again toward the door where Joker was sleeping. "_this _ clown decides to give him until four a.m. and if he wasn't back, we were goin' to put him down." Jayde nodded at this point to show she was following him so he continued. "Four came around, nothing from this guy." He glanced at the door one more time. "Ki found him before the sun even came up and I watched him cut that dudes hands off on the hood of that car for stealing from us."

At first, Jayde wasn't sure how to react since she was neither surprised nor startled at hearing this but luckily, she did not have time to react one way or the other; the door in the hallway had opened to reveal a bleary-eyed Joker mid-way through a yawn. His mouth closed as he blinked a few times, taking in the sight of the living room and kitchen where both Jayde and Tre sat looking at him. His eyebrows furrowed a second later as his shoulders straightened slightly. "What are you girls starin' at?" he asked defensively, reaching up to run a few fingers through the tangled curls on the side of his head he had been sleeping on. Jayde grinned when he plopped down at the table across from her.

Tre ignored his question. "I was just telling her 'bout the time you cut dude's hands off on that Lincoln." Joker had buried his face in his hands on the table and now grunted a laugh from behind them, rubbing his eyes.

"_That _ was funny." He rasped, bringing his hands down to place them palm-up on the table. His eyes watched his fingers curl inward slowly into fists as he smirked down at them. "I've never heard a man squeal like that before." He added, just before it grew quiet at the small table. Tre cleared his throat after a few moments, looking to Joker who had taken to staring intently at something on the table.

"Let's start on the 'vette, Ki." He grunted, rising from the table to stretch his arms up over his head. When Joker failed to move or even blink for that matter, Tre leaned forward, slamming his hand loudly on the table in front of him with a whistle. "Kieron! Let's go, bitch, I got shit to do today." He growled, standing his ground when Joker stood slowly to be eye level with him, their eyes locking in some sort of challenging glare. Jayde simply grinned at their ecentric version of joking, as she rose from the table, taking Joker's arm to start pulling him toward the bedroom, away from Tre. He let her pull him but pointed at the garage door as he still looked back.

"Better get on, Tre." He said loudly, now walking backwards as he followed Jayde.

Jayde flung herself down on the bed once inside the dim room, rolling onto her side to watch Joker as he pulled off the t-shirt he had fallen asleep in, to be shirtless for a moment. He had pulled out the red medical bag Jayde had used the other night and was now peeling the tape and gauze from his skin slowly. When it came free, he exhaled like he had been holding his breath and folded the bandage up to drop it onto the bed. Jayde watched him treat his wound quietly, dabbing it lightly with a cotton ball soaked with hydrogen peroxide until he moved on to the tape and fresh gauze.

"Do you want some help?" she asked rather lightly, hoping he wasn't about to snap at her, but instead he shook his head.

"No." he answered quickly, so Jayde took that as her cue to just sit there and be quiet. When he had finished, he sighed, tossing the bag back onto the top of the larger one and reached down to pick up his white tank-top and a smaller black bag Jayde had not seen before then. After opening the door, he jerked his head toward it, indicating that Jayde should go out ahead of him so he could close the door behind them.

Tre was already in the garage when they got there, pulling a large, black trash can from around the corner. The Corvette was still in the driveway so Joker set the bag down at the door to go out and reverse it in. Off to the side of the garage, Jayde noticed a wooden chair that looked as though it belonged to the table inside so she helped herself to it, wondering what else Joker could possibly want to do with her car. It was already plenty loud.

The car rumbled into place with it's headlights facing the street and sat there running for a moment while it looked as though Joker was gathering things off the floor inside. He emerged a few minutes later, holding the floor mats and the rest of their bags. She had been watching so intently, she failed to even notice that Joker had completely stopped moving and was now watching her stare at the carpets in his hand. Her eyes jerked up when he cleared his throat.

"You just here to watch or you wanna learn a thing or two?" he asked a bit loudly, dropping each of the mats onto the floor a few inches apart from each other. Jayde grinned, nodding, but got up when he motioned for her to go to him. Once at his side, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, walking her toward the driver's side of the Corvette. "Tre and I, over the many years, have gotten incredibly good at…covering our tracks." He lowered his head toward Jayde. "Do ya see where I'm going?" Jayde nodded, looking down at the Corvette.

"Yeah, meaning every single part of the car has to be vacuumed and cleaned." Her eyes squinted as they traveled along the door on the car just below the driver's window where she noticed small flecks of what appeared to be a dark, red paint, dried and noticeable against the shiny purple. Looking to Joker, she pointed at it. "And this isn't paint, is it?" she asked, taking a deep breath when Joker immediately shook his head, no. Her mind took her back to that policeman in the woods that Joker had shot just after their rather raunchy rest stop. Jayde exhaled heavily, placing her hands on her hips. "So where do we start?"

Above her, Joker seemed to be beaming, maybe even a little proud of her for taking interest in something he was good at, since she hadn't seemed too thrilled with the killing aspect. But if there was one thing Joker had learned about Jayde over the past month or so, it was her attention to detail. At first it annoyed him, her random comments and questions, always staring at things, taking them in. However, after a while, and he was amazed he hadn't thought of it right off, Joker realized how valuable someone like Jayde was to his…efforts in Gotham. So as the Joker watched her now, leaned down, looking into the driver's window at the inside of the car, he mentally congratulated himself on hiring his first CSI.

"Well," he began, opening the door for her to sit in the driver's seat. "First rule, gloves _always_." From his back pocket, Joker pulled a pair of black, thick latex gloves, draping them across her knee as he knelt down outside the car next to her. His eyes followed her hands movements as she put them on, waiting to continue until she was done. "Second rule, hair up _always."_ As she reached for her hairtie to obey rule number two, he went on, again watching her. "Three basic things you're going to look for- blood, fingerprints and hair. That includes eyelashes, fingernail pieces or whatever." Here, he paused, shrugging as he rolled his eyes. "Basically, you're going to end up cleaning the entire car but it's still key to focus on…those three." He stood up, walking over toward the cabinets at the back of the garage. "Now a days, they have a fucking computer to tell you anything about everything." He grumbled as he came back, carrying a roll of paper towels and a plastic box full of canned cleaning sprays.

"That's the truth, too." Tre agreed with him, his voice coming muffled from underneath the car. Jayde jumped slightly but leaned to the side, straining to see what he was doing. However, Joker explained a moment later.

"He's changing your oil. Uh, listen." He said, using his hand to pull her face back up to his level where she was paying attention. "Gotta wipe everything down first _before _you vacuum. Do you have any idea why?" he asked now, leaning forward like a teacher asking a class.

"That way if any hair or…_eyelashes… _" she paused to grin as Joker's lips started to smirk at her emphasis on his example. "If anything falls on the floor while you're wiping everything off, it will just get picked up by the vacuum." Joker was now completely grinning down at her; he knew she would be perfect for this.

"Right, so get to it." He instructed, standing to walk to the front of the car and prop open the hood, leaving Jayde with the box of cleaning agents. Taking a can labeled 'water', she sprayed everything down with that first, figuring anything loose would stick together more easily. After wiping all of that off, she used the next one she saw which she figured was a mixture of bleach and water.

The front was nearly clean by the time Joker returned, now holding that smaller black bag he had brought out with them. Jayde paused, looking up at him as he leaned down slightly to inspect her work so far. He did not comment but instead, unzipped the bag he was holding. "Ya know those cigarettes we smoked and flicked over the railing at the hotel?" Jayde nodded, looking down when he pulled a plastic baggie with about twenty cigarettes from the duffle. Some of them had smudges of red makeup on the filter and she smirked to herself but could not comment since Joker immediately took them to the trash can to dispose of them.

As she continued, Jayde found herself thinking of how surprisingly thorough Joker was being with her car. Her first instinct was to think that Joker was simply covering her ass in case she were to be caught, but then slowly she realized that Joker had actually found something in her that could be of use to him. Up until that point, Jayde had gone from 'captive' to 'friend' in what seemed like a short period of time but at the rate things were moving, she wouldn't be surprised if Joker suddenly got tired of her tagging along all the time. Her nose crinkled slightly in her cleaning efforts as she cringed at the thought and what could potentially follow. At least now Joker had found a purpose for her…finally.

Nearly an hour and no break later, Jayde crawled out from the back of the car, dripping sweat and slightly winded, only to find Joker and Tre standing in front of the car, passing a blunt between them. She appeared around the raised hood, her mouth slightly agape as her eyes first looked at Joker, then at Tre and back again. They had paused and were now staring back uninterestedly. Tossing her arms slightly, she huffed at Joker's gradually forming smirk.

"So how long have you guys been done?" she asked. Joker looked to Tre, who shrugged back at him.

"Jayde," Joker started, pausing to exhale. "We haven't even started yet, sweetcheeks, so how about you take this…" he moved toward her to hand her the blunt, turning her to put his hands on her shoulders and walk her over toward the chair. "…and sit here while we clean the car. _Okay?"_ he asked in a quiet but almost irritated voice like a parent would use with a child. Normally, it annoyed her when he talked to her like that but she figured it would just be easier to reply nicely and save herself the effort.

"Okay."

The first few hits on the cigar he had given her did wonders to calm her strangely bristling mood and before too long, Jayde was doing nothing more than sitting there staring lazily at Joker and Tre putting gloves on. By the time Joker had pulled his hair back, to follow their own rules, Tre had pulled two metal canisters attached to what appeared to be a large metal container in the corner of the garage. Jayde recognized the canisters to be car paint canisters but as they started spraying the car she realized the machine had been rigged to work with water. For some reason, her brain thought this was incredibly interesting at the moment so she failed to notice at first that Joker and Tre were laughing at her.

"Just a minute ago she was 'bout ready to rip our throats out, now look at her." Tre commented, joining Joker as he laughed.

"I _told _ you." He replied in a clowny voice, shaking his head slightly. Jayde blushed, knowing the look on her face had probably been ridiculous but she sat up now, grinning to herself.

For nearly an hour, Jayde watched every single thing Joker and Tre did and she did find it all interesting but as she watched them towel dry the now sparkling Corvette, she couldn't exactly say she wasn't glad they were finished. The car was immaculately clean and completely free of anything incriminating and as Tre put away the spray cans, Joker walked over to Jayde, holding his hand out. She took it but he did not pull her up to stand, instead, he closed his fingers around her hand, looking down at her.

"I hope you're in a better mood." He said quietly. Jayde paused, looking back up at him with a sheepish grin before she looked away again, shrugging.

"Yeah, sorry…I don't really know what that was."

Looking back up at him, she half-expected him to make a smart-ass remark but instead he smirked, glancing down at their hands. "You wanna take a shower?" he asked a moment later, only to pull on her hand when she nodded.

After a quick stop in the bed room to get a change of clothes for the afternoon, Joker led Jayde into the bathroom just as he had the night before, again pausing in the doorway to watch her start the water. Jayde knew he was standing there but didn't care much and proceeded to peel off her tanktop, tossing it onto the back of the toilet. Glancing at Joker from over her shoulder, Jayde noticed that he had moved into the bathroom and was now standing at the sink, his shoulders hunched slightly as he leaned on his hands on either side of the sink's bowl. He had taken a deep breath and was exhaling rather heavily, yet slowly as his head rose to look at himself in the mirror. By now, Jayde had stopped undressing and was now watching him, unsure of what was going on in that mind of his. He looked over at her a second later.

"Ya know…" he began, looking back at the mirror. "I was standing right here, in this bathroom when I did this to myself." His cold eyes gazed back unflinchingly from the reflection as he straightened his back and shoulders. She knew immediately what he was referring to but at first, Jayde wasn't sure which way to react, seeing how it was beginning to seem like a bit of a touchy subject with him. When he did not continue, she remained in place, impassive but spoke quietly and precisely, hoping to show him that she was not afraid to ask.

"Why?"

The corners of Joker's scarred lips curled into a smirk as he hung his head a bit, turning it to look at her from behind a few acid green curls. His shoulders heaved a bit as he sighed heavily again, shaking his head as he looked back at the mirror. "Tre and I lived in the hood from the time we met up until a year or two ago when I left and went to Gotham." He paused, shaking some of his hair back away from his face as if to see himself more clearly in the mirror. "I'm white…" he began again, glancing at Jayde. "So I…_stuck out_ a bit. And they had this…" he laughed breathlessly, clenching his teeth together. "-this nickname for me around the city, around our ghetto." At this point in his explanation, Joker paused again, cocking his head slightly at his reflection so Jayde took the moment to press him further.

"What did they call you?" she asked, again keeping her voice quiet so not to seem like she was being to forward or pushing him too hard. Joker grunted a laugh.

"'Pretty boy'." He answered with a laugh. "It was always, 'oh, there's pretty boy.' Or 'pretty boy's got that.'." Jayde looked down at his hands rested on either side of the sink to find his knuckles were beginning to whiten as his grip grew harder and harder on the ceramic. "Grown men called me 'Ki-ki', making…_kissing_ noises at me when I would walk past, asking if they could be my…_girlfriend. _Nobody would take me seriously, just because of the way I looked and their stupid fucking nicknames_." _ This last word came out more as a hiss as Joker gritted his teeth, closing his eyes and Jayde could almost picture all the hair raising on his back like an angry dog. "_SO-" _ he started again, more loudly, now bristling. "-one night, I got tired of beating the life out of every guy that called me 'pretty'. I figured it would save me time and effort in the future if I just came in here and made it so I wasn't….pretty." His anger subsided suddenly into something that almost resembled wistfulness. "There was blood everywhere."

Turning his back on the mirror, Joker now rested against the sink, folding his arms over his chest. "Tre found me." He continued. "He came in _just _as I was about to do this side." Raising his hand, he pointed at the left side of his face, to the less symmetrical, more jagged and uneven scar. "That's why it's messed up; he was trying to stop me." Joker paused again only to laugh to himself, shaking his head. "Crazy bastard…I almost killed him that night." He laughed again, louder. "And all I can remember saying after that was 'at least I'm not pretty anymore.'"

It seemed after this that Joker was done story-telling as he promptly left the bathroom, surprising Jayde since he never liked to make it known when he was uncomfortable about something. At first, Jayde thought he might have been embarrassed, but decided he probably just wanted to be alone and instead shut the door behind him to finish undressing.

The water, by this time was plenty hot and caused giant goosebumps to rise all over Jayde's skin, carpeting her in tingles from head to toe. She shivered openly to herself, thinking of Joker's story, pursing her lips when the thought of it made her own scar prickle. But as random as Joker's story had been, Jayde was glad he had finally explained it to her, quelling a lot of the theories she had thought up on her own on the origin of his scars. It made sense that he would have done it to himself but still the thought of anyone taking a knife to their own face was enough to make her sick; having it done _to _ her hurt bad enough. She could not imagine the sort of anger Joker had felt in order to compell him to do such a thing.

After washing her hair and body, Jayde did not waste time in the shower and instead got out rather quickly, wanting to go find Joker since she figured she had given him enough time to be alone. She had a feeling, as she exited the bathroom, that Joker would not want her to be affectionate or probably even touch him at all for that matter, but Jayde did not care; she wanted to give him a hug, for her own reasons.

Dropping her damp towel in the bedroom, Jayde went to find him and succeeded a moment later when she spotted him in the living room on the ancient couch, reunited with his book. One of his ankles was rested on his bouncing knee as one of his fingers kept poking through his curls, detangling as it went. He didn't seem to notice her at first, but Jayde paid this no attention and slid onto the couch next to him, as close as she could possibly get without actually sitting in his lap. At first, he remained passive, his eyes still traveling along the page of his book but after a few seconds of Jayde staring up at his face, his scars slowly started to stretch until he looked up from reading to make eye contact with her.

"Can I help you?" his raspy, clowny voice asked, but he grunted, moving his book as Jayde helped herself to his lap, crawling into place until she sat sideways against him. Her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders, her head resting on him as he sighed. "Damnit, Jayde, I knew you would do this." He grumbled, setting his book completely down, finally. "...I wasn't lookin' for sympathy, ya know…"

"I'm not giving you sympathy." She answered immediately. "Just shut up and let me hug you." Her arms tightened slightly when she felt Joker grunt a laugh, bringing his own arms up to wrap around her side loosely. He took a deep breath a second later, exhaling slowly with a slight groan and like this they sat for several silent minutes, just leaning against each other comfortably until the door to the garage opened and Tre appeared. Jayde looked over to see that he had noticed them but turned away quickly when he saw the way they were sitting. It probably did seem a bit awkward, Jayde thought so she slid backwards out of his lap onto the space next to him, hoping she hadn't made Tre feel uncomfortable in his own house. Joker let her go, but stood a moment later, walking over to where Tre had disappeared into his room on the other side of the kitchen but he paused in the frame, leaning against the side.

Jayde could hear their voices but could not make out exactly what they were saying, however, it did not seem like a very lengthy conversation since Joker appeared, coming back through the kitchen a few seconds later, smirking.

"I'm going to shower." He put simply, passing through the living room to walk toward the bedroom door, pointing a finger at her as he went. "You stay there." Jayde smiled instead of replying and once he had slipped into the bedroom for a second, he reemerged, holding clothes on his way to the bathroom. Jayde sighed, laying down along the couch once he had disappeared and the water turned on behind the closed door.

All day Jayde had noticed a strange sense of calm about Joker, how the things that normally bothered him didn't seem too irritating and his actions with her were more gentle, almost more affectionate than normal. She could not put her finger on why or what was bringing it on, but he definitely seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood that day. For some reason or another, Jayde's mind could not stop replaying the way Joker had held her hand in the garage and the way he had smirked down at her but as always, she was programmed to play it down and write it off to Joker just being in one of his many, varying moods; she would not be surprised if he got out of the shower and was suddenly pissed.

Minutes went by and still the water kept running on the other side of the bathroom door but after what seemed like a half hour, the door finally opened, a small cloud of steam billowing out into the hallway. Joker emerged a moment later, holding his dirty clothes in one hand while the other rubbed a towel over his dripping, green curls. She grinned when she noticed he had his eyes closed behind all his hair and the towel, but he continued on his way to the bedroom to drop his clothes and towel off before joining her again on the couch.

As he sat next to her to slide his arm along the couch behind her shoulders, Jayde got a good wave of his scent and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as her head rested on his shoulder. For a few moments, it felt as though Joker were hesitating but instead of waiting, Jayde reached behind her to pull his arm from the couch to her shoulders, using her own hand to curl his around her upper arm, hoping he would get the point. She heard and felt him take a deep breath, slouching slightly to get comfortable as he turned on the TV across from the couch and much to her delight, his hand stayed exactly where she had put it when she let go.

It wasn't long before they had settled on a movie, and Jayde was just getting comfortable against him when Tre came around the corner of the kitchen to walk toward the front door, just next to the couch they were sitting on. As he unlocked it, Jayde winced as he threw something to Joker, just over her head but he caught it and 'hmm'-ed at it momentarily, holding it out to her so Jayde could see that Tre had thrown him a rolled blunt. When she did not react at first, Joker slowly started moving it closer and closer to her face.

"…Would you like to join us?" he asked quietly, still moving it closer when she sighed.

"No," she replied. "I'll be too tired if I smoke now." Her eyes were still lazily watching the movie as she was admittedly still a little high from the blunt before. And if it wasn't for that, she probably would have seen the blunt that Joker was still moving closer to her face.

"Jayde…" Joker began in a serious voice. "Are you sure?" By then, the blunt was completely in her face and he was just about to stick the end of it in her nose when Jayde slapped his hand away from her, grinning as he laughed.

"Yes, I'm sure, now go." She answered, pushing on his arm to make him get up so she could be more comfortable and only once the door had closed behind them did she fully give in and lay down. Once again, she could hear their deep, muffled voices just on the other side of the frosted windows behind the couch but could not make out everything they were saying.

Outside, Joker leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as Tre sat across from him, lighting the blunt to inhale deeply and pass it. Once he had hit it, he exhaled slowly, allowing the smoke in his lungs to escape as he spoke.

"I told her about the time I tried to kill you." He said somewhat quietly, handing it back as Tre immediately let out a fake laugh, taking it from Joker.

"Oh, you mean the time you tried to kill _yourself? _ Yeah, I remember _that _night." He replied, his dark eyes staring out at the rest of the neighborhood. From beside him, Joker rolled his eyes, sitting back in the chair.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself." He said a few moments later, taking the blunt to hit it deeply. "I was just _tired _of myself. I just…didn't want to be me anymore, see?" Joker paused again, leaning forward to rest his elbow on the table between them as he passed it back to Tre. "And ya know?…" he started again, cocking his head to the side. "It didn't hurt until afterwards." He looked up as Tre turned his head to look at him, nodding.

"That's how bad you wanted it, Ki." He answered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees after he had exhaled. "That's how much you hated yourself." It seemed Tre were having one epiphany after the other as he kept going after a short pause, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you happier now with your face like that?" Joker grinned, nodding his head.

"Oh, I'm a happy guy, Tre. I _own _ Gotham." He paused to run his tongue along the scar on his bottom lip. "There aren't many people there who haven't heard of me and the one main thing the news will tell the public to be on the lookout for is my scars. They define who I feel I am." The Joker's scars curved upward as he grinned. "I mean, would I have really cut my face into a smile if I wasn't a happy guy?" Tre nodded.

"See, I'm not as smart as you, Ki." He began, sitting up to move forward so he was sitting more toward the front of his chair, his eyes still watching the neighborhood. "You were always readin' and learning about things. I didn't give a shit, I just learned from you." He explained, hitting the blunt that Joker had just passed him. "But that's your worst enemy." He added a moment later, exhaling. "You're too smart for your own good." Pausing again, he looked over at Kieron, motioning at him. "And you're definitely too smart to be what you _wish_ you were." Joker's nose crinkled as he scowled at Tre.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" he asked defensively but Tre only laughed at him, shaking his head.

"I mean, you wish you could be crazy and heartless, wreckless…and for the most part you are, but it's your mind that keeps you from really, deep-down being like that." Tre paused, laughing at him as he pointed. "Kieron, you couldn't lose your mind completely if you really tried." He shook his head again. "You're too damn smart for that. And that's what makes you so fucking scary."

Silence fell over the porch as both marinated on what Tre had said and the very end of the blunt now smoldered quietly in the ashtray between them. Joker leaned forward on his knees nearly a full minute later, turning his head to look over at Tre, smirking.

"I never knew you felt that way about me, Terrell." He mumbled, laughing when Tre shrugged his shoulders.

"You know what I'm trying to say, bitch. You're also too damn smart to be able to forget about her. She's got you, bro-. Hook, line, sinker." Tre went off again, nodding his head toward the window. "You always had that weakness for girls, man. If you were really capable of being as heartless as you seem, you would have no problem dumping this chick's body in a lake somewhere."

Across the table, Joker surprised himself at feeling rather nauseas at the thought but he took a deep breath, shifting slightly on the chair. He supposed it was because of the high so he ignored it, blinking a few times to focus on how he could best explain himself.

"I just let myself get comfortable around her. Something about her makes me strangely…" he paused, squinting as he searched for a word. "-at ease." Tre must have noticed the way Joker was staring off, over the lawn as he leaned forward slightly, butting in.

"You aren't about to say you're suddenly in love with her, are you?" he asked, laughing when Joker shook his head.

"No, no. I'm not. That's really not what I feel for her. It's something…different." Joker shook his head, sitting back in the chair. "And she feels the same way. She's…the perfect friend, someone I feel like I can just-…" He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, opening his arms. "relax, not feel so…wound up all the time…_anxious_." From here, he wasn't really sure where else he was going with that but across from him, Tre was hanging his head, shaking it.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, Ki…" he said, causing Joker to look over, thinking he was about to continue, but he did not and instead stayed quiet, still watching the yard. A few silent moments later, he stood up, moving to the front door to open it and step inside, followed momentarily by Joker. Tre had stopped next to the couch and now both were staring down at Jayde, asleep on her stomach with her arms folded under her head. The lower half of her shirt had risen several inches from the already low waist-line of her jeans and now her hips lay exposed as her back dipped slightly. Joker smirked as Tre turned to him slowly.

"I'm starting to see where you're coming from on this now." Tre commented, turning to walk away.

"Ya see?"

The kitchen light went out as Tre passed through on the way to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him, leaving Joker and the sleeping Jayde alone in the living room. He turned to the couch, tossing his arms slightly at her; being as high as he was, the last thing he wanted was for her to be asleep. So as heavily as he could, he sat on the cushion next to her head and arms, giggling slightly as she bounced a few times, groaning.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_…" he cooed, reaching down to pat her head. "I seem to have fallen." His scars curled upward a bit as she scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder to turn her head the other way.

"Yes, it seems that way." She mumbled, closing her eyes breifly before Joker laughed rather loudly, reaching down to brush all of her messy curls back into her face.

"Jayde," he began, again using that clowny voice and she rolled onto her back, scowling up at him. "I thought we had agreed that you were going to keep me…entertained and…" his eyes traveled down her body along the couch and back up again as he traced the scar on his lip with his tongue. "you're not doing a very. good. job." Joker had been leaning down slightly as he spoke, looking at her face upside down but backed away when Jayde sat up, moving toward him along the couch on her knees until she could straddle his lap. Her hands moved to rest on his chest and she grinned at him in the dim light from the TV behind her. A low, raspy hum came from Joker's throat as his scars twitched in his smirk. "_That's _more like it." He growled, letting his hands settle on the curve of her hips that he and Tre had been admiring minutes earlier.

Moving to sit on him was no problem, but once on his lap, she grew a little hesitant, unsure of what to do next. Luckily, like usual, it seemed as though Joker could tell what she was feeling and helped her by squeezing firmly on her waist, his thumbs just above her hipbones. Jayde grinned when her body followed him on it's own, her hips falling into him a bit before he pushed them down suddenly, bringing her to sit fully on his lap. A small gasp of air escaped her when Joker lifted his own hips to slouch somewhat as he had been sitting a little too straight on the couch for Jayde to have room for her knees. Her hands had fallen onto his stomach, just above his belt buckle where she now flattened them, rocking forward slightly.

Joker's half-lidded eyes watched Jayde grind on his lap, that annoying streak he had felt earlier completely disappearing to give way to the animal he tried so hard to keep tame. When her hips rocked back again, he hissed quietly, sliding his hands up from her hips under her shirt to frame her ribcage. He looked up at her to find she was smirking down at him, watching his reactions and he laughed deeply, quietly.

"_Ma'am,_" he began in a low, warning tone. "What have I told you about teasing me?"

"Hmm?" she asked in return, again grinding her hips over his lap, this time sliding her fingers under the lining of his boxers to grip his belt buckle with both hands. Her lips expanded into a sly grin as Joker's eyes rose from her hips to her eyes, pausing a few places along the way as his hands continued to slide her shirt up. "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't realize I was teasing you." She purred a moment later, but gasped when Joker's hand moved suddenly to grab a handful of her hair and pull backward, exposing her neck. A moan escaped her a bit more loudly than she had expected when Joker pulled her closer to let his teeth bite down gently but firmly on the nape. Her back arched against him as his lips followed his teeth, kissing the marks in her skin he had made, all while Jayde practically shivered with goosebumps.

When he pulled away, Joker's eyes slid up to meet hers but after only a second, his hands moved to grab her ass and stand from the couch only to drape her over his shoulder to carry her into the room. Jayde scoffed from behind him, smacking her hand against his back.

"Oh, seriously? This is how I get carried now?" she asked, frowning down at him when Joker moved to sit on the bed and lay down with Jayde still atop his hips. He laughed, closing his eyes to the dark room but hummed contentedly when she leaned down to lay along his torso and lightly kiss the base of his neck.

Earlier that evening in the shower, Jayde had realized that Joker had not kissed her once that day yet and now as it was nearly midnight, she was tired of waiting for it so she scooted up further to lean on her arms and lightly press her lips to his. Joker exhaled softly against her lips as if he had been holding his breath, his hand rising to push the curls that had fallen over her shoulder away from the side of her neck so his fingers could be there instead.

Jayde had kissed him lightly at first but something in the way his thumb had just slid down the front of her neck made her moan against his lips, rocking her hips forward.

"_Oohhh…_" Joker crooned as he pulled away, smirking at her through the dark. "_that's _what I'm supposed to do?" His hand moved to reach around to the other side and pull all her hair away from her neck to find that ultra-sensitive spot he had been thinking about a few days ago and of course, the moment he pressed his lips to it, she arched her back, gasping slightly.

After just a second of him kissing her neck, Jayde could feel her underwear starting to stick to her, but she couldn't help but feel strange about their current location. "Isn't it kinda…weird that we're doing this in your friend's house?" she asked in almost a whisper but gasped again when Joker growled, using his hands to push her hips back down onto his lap.

"No, I don't." he answered, his voice raspy and clowny again as Jayde started to chip away at his patience. As much as Joker did not want to tell her 'I've fucked more girls in this room than I can count', she was still sitting on his lap, they were still both wearing jeans, and he was still hard. "This was my bedroom for a very long time." He continued, closing his eyes to try and stay nice for just a few more seconds. "Trust me. It's fine."

Just when he expected her to ask another question, his eyes opened again when he felt Jayde's hands move to unbuckle his belt, taking her time but still inching downward until she could pull his jeans off and drop them on the floor before copying with her own. When she reached Joker now in the middle of the bed, he groaned deeply as her knees came to rest on either side of his hips again and with no help, Jayde pulled another low moan from his chest as she rocked backward, then forward, hoping he could feel the wetness that had soaked through her underwear by then.

"Oh, let me _assist _ you with those." He growled, tugging them downward until Jayde had to lift her knee to take them off, leaving her completely exposed above him, save for her shirt, which Joker promptly discarded, along with her bra. She could hear her clothing landing softly on random objects in the room as he threw them, along with his own shirt and boxers and with both of them bare, Jayde reached back to pull the white sheet up to cover her back while she lay down along Joker's chest, her lips meeting his deeply again.

The backs of his fingers slid lightly along her shoulders as he responded to her kiss but moved downward along her back, sliding the sheet back down until it passed over the curve of her ass, exposing her to the fan again. She shivered in response, her skin now coated in goosebumps. When Joker's thumb moved over her hardened nipple, she gasped quietly, pulling away from him. His lips were curved upward in his grin as he brought his hand back down to join his other one at her hips.

Jayde watched Joker's eyes move up and down her body, lingering momentarily on the curve of her breasts that her hair failed to reach as it was mostly over both of her shoulders. As his gaze reached her eyes, he squinted slightly, motioning with one finger for her to come closer, and she did, until she was almost laying on top of him. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her just a bit closer to his face.

"If you plan on fucking me, Jayde…" he started, his voice low against her ear. " –then I suggest you get. to. it." And she would have, however Joker's patience had seemingly run dry when his hands pulled her hips down, lifting his own hips to meet her and move as deeply into her as he could. A loud moan, escaped Jayde before she even knew what had happened or could remember where she was. But as it turned out, it was a little hard to keep quiet. Her back arched as she looked down at him to find that crooked grin on his face. She smirked back at him, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

"That wasn't very nice of you." She purred, leaning on her hands on his chest as her hips rocked forward sharply, then fell back. Joker hummed deep in his chest, tightening his grip on her hips.

"No, it wasn't, was it?" he answered, his eyes low and watching her hips move as she had fallen into a steady, lovely rhythm atop him. "But I think you like when I'm not nice to you." His hands had moved up her back to her shoulders where he pulled her back down, close to his face. Jayde let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding when his lips touched the top of her scar, pursing slightly before he left another just before the corner of her mouth then another, catching both of her lips together. Their kiss deepened almost immediately and Jayde tried hard not to shiver when his hands parted at her shoulders, one moving to the small of her back while the other behind her neck. The one at the small of her back flattened when Joker began to move his hips, slowly at first, yet deep enough that Jayde would clench around him everytime he moved.

It wasn't long before Jayde was pulling away from his lips, moaning softly to him in the dark room as her fingers tightened a bit on the bedsheets on either side of his shoulders. Joker couldn't help but smirk, remembering how he had once dreamt about him fucking her like this earlier on, before they had 'consumated' their friendship, and he was surprised to find she sounded exactly like she had in his dream, if not better. Her back dipped sharply as Joker pulled her down to meet his thrust each time and she could feel the warm, tingly sensation starting to creep over her but it seemed Joker had already grown bored.

With one movement, Joker practically threw her off of him and she was about to cuss at him when he rose onto his knees in front of her, rocking his hips to enter her again. The corner of his lips curled into that smirk as he began moving again, this time, in control. He groaned deeply, closing his eyes as some of his hair fell in his face.

"_My_ turn." He growled, shaking his head to move his hair away as his hips swung into a deep rhythm against her.

With all his messy curls falling in his eyes and the way he was fucking her so deeply, Jayde had to admit there was something more animalistic about Joker that evening and she moaned, arching her back when his hands slid under her. She supposed it could have been the fact that they hadn't done it in a few days, but then again, Tre _had _ said Joker was an animal.

Joker's pace had begun to quicken and gather force until those warm tingles began to fill Jayde's midsection again. His thumb dropped to rub circles around her clit as he watched her, groaning a little when he felt his own finish approaching. It was something he had learned right away about her; if he watched her have an orgasm, he was going to cum, soon.

Closing his eyes, Joker tried to fight it off but her soft moans and whimpers were hard to block out. Jayde did nothing to help by arching her back against him as she came, moaning his name before a soft "fuck me" left her lips against his ear. He groaned, rocking his hips against hers hard, that tightening sensation across his midsection urging him on until he bucked his hips several last times, releasing into her.

Jayde had taken a deep breath but now exhaled slowly when Joker pulled out of her to lay on the bed just next to her, his cheek rested on her shoulder as his arm went around her waist. He grunted a sleepy laugh a few moments later, closing his eyes when Jayde looked over to move some of his green curls away from his face. A smirk had settled onto his features at some point and Jayde had just noticed when he opened his eyes to grin up at her and tighten his arm's grip around her.

"That story works everytime." He murmured, laughing when Jayde gasped a moment later, slapping her hand against his bare shoulder.

"No way!" she exclaimed, scooting away from him slightly. "That story about your scars isn't true?" Part of her hoped it wasn't but still the remainder of her would have felt hurt and lied to. But Joker was still laughing, now connecting his arms around her waist to pull her back to him against his chest.

"No, Jayde, I'm joking." He explained while she squirmed, again tightening his grip when she lay still, meeting his eyes again through the darkness. "That was the truth."

Silence settled over them as they lay tucked against each other, until Joker suddenly lifted his head, frowning around at the dark room as something dawned on him. "I thought we were supposed to be in Gotham by tonight." He said, looking to Jayde when she rolled over to look up at him. She shrugged, closing her eyes again.

"I guess we had better things to do." She answered, but smiled against his lips when Joker leaned over to kiss her gently before he pulled away to lay back down.

"You qualify as a pretty good thing to do, so I guess we can just wait and leave until morning." He said, his jaw dropping in a yawn as he went on. "Get some sleep, kiddo. Long day tomorrow."

Author's Note: Well, now! I bet you all were not expecting such a loooooong chapter since I've been rather dormant for a while but I am definitely about to finish this story within the next few weeks so stay with me! We're almost there! Please read and review and I hope you enjoyed.


	34. Chapter 34 coming soon

…..Expect an update soon…..


	35. Honey, I'm Home

It seemed to Joker that a mere ten minutes after he had fallen asleep, he was rolling over to open his eyes and suddenly feel wide awake. He sighed as the dead weight on his upper arm registered with his brain as a sleeping Jayde, breathing quietly through her nose against his shoulder. This wasn't the first time in his life that he had woken abruptly to feel like he hadn't been sleeping. Sure, there were times when he woke up and felt groggy or a little tired still but more often than not, he woke up feeling alert and rather wide-awake, seemingly against his will. Of course, more often than not, when this happened, it irritated the _shit _out of him.

Beside him, Jayde was obviously still unconscious curled up on her side. But upon further inspection, the bedroom was still pitch black and a second later, Joker clenched his teeth tight to keep from growling loudly in frustration as he shut his eyes again. He bet it wasn't even past three in the morning and yet there he was, wide awake.

So as slowly and precisely as he could, Joker began to slide his arm out from under Jayde's head, while gingerly holding up her mass of curls with his other hand so not to pull on anything and wake her up. It took a couple seconds, but once standing, he rolled his head to both sides, cracking his neck a few times while he searched for his watch in the small pile of clothes from the day before. During his search, his hands found a pair of jeans and once the watch had been located, he stepped into them, buckling his belt before he silently opened the bedroom door to step out.

The living room and kitchen were dark and felt somewhat inviting to Joker's dark-accustomed eyes as he took a seat at the small round table, sliding one of his hands over the cuts and deep grooves in the wood, the tips of his fingers faltering on one he instantly recognized. The shape was so familiar to him, even after not sitting at this table for a few years; two deep circles with a wide, upward curving arc beneath them. A smirk tugged on his scars, but a moment later, Joker vaguely remembered the watch in his other hand.

Rising from the table, he figured the fridge would have the smallest amount of light to hurt his eyes so he went to it, opening it just a crack to hold the watch in the beam.

"5: 23am"

He sighed, letting the door to the fridge close again. Five was a lot better than three; Tre probably wouldn't be _as_ mad at Joker for waking him up. Standing at Tre's door, Joker couldn't help but grin to himself snidely, knowing exactly how this was going to go down. After a few loud knocks, he pressed his ear to the wood, still grinning. Inside, he could hear faint rustling sounds before a loud groan.

"_Terreeeelllll…" _ Joker called in a quiet higher-pitched, raspy voice. "Wake _uuuuup…"_ His grin expanded to show all of his teeth and wrinkle his nose when he heard his friend's groggy voice.

"Bitch, do you not see that I'm sleeping?" Tre asked from the other side of the door in a level voice. Joker laughed, turning to face the door and place his hands on either side of his head as he replied.

"Bitch, do _you _not _hear _that I'm standin' outside your door? And if I have to come in there-…"

A moment later, Joker backed a step up from the door as it opened slowly to reveal a very irritated, groggy Tre. For a second, they both stood there and glared at each other until Tre frowned, tossing a hand at Joker.

"Damn, man, I can't believe you still do this shit after all that time, waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn for this stupid shit, man. I swear to god, you're the most insane person I have ever known, you crazy bitch. What the fuck is it this time?"

Joker listened to Tre's 'black-guy rant', as he affectionately called it, with a blank stare on his face, waiting until he was done to start speaking.

"You're gonna help me paint the car. C'mon." Ki answered, glancing down as he moved to turn away. He scoffed, shoving Tre's shoulder hard. "And put some fuckin' pants on, damn!" Joker said loudly, tossing his hands as he turned to walk toward the garage. "-Answerin' the door to a full grown-ass man in your damn underwear 'n shit-…" Joker's voice trailed off as he stepped into the garage and disappeared behind the door but Tre could hear that he was still going off loudly so he turned to put some jeans and a shirt on.

Joker had already pulled his hair back into a high, small ponytail and was in the middle of plugging in the paint buffers when Tre finally joined him, although he did not look up until he heard the click of a lighter. He turned, glancing from the cigarette in Tre's hand to his face a few times before he scowled, tossing his hand at him.

"So now I have to wait on this?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. When Tre simply blinked slowly as he took another drag from the cigarette, Joker's face relaxed into a blank, annoyed stare. "You're just gonna…take your sweet time, then?" Tre nodded, but reached into his pocket to pull out his pack of cigarettes to hold them out to Joker.

"Have one, bro-, please. You're in rare form this morning…-killin' me…" He grumbled, closing his eyes sleepily to lean against the car when Joker snatched the pack from his hand and lit a cigarette alongside him.

The garage door was open, revealing their neighbors house across the street, but also the soft green glow that was beginning to disrupt the dark, navy blue of nighttime just over the tops of the houses. Joker sighed deeply as he leaned against the worktable to the left of him, a bit surprised to find himself so anxious to be in his own bed again, back at his mansion-lair. The next moment, he felt like slapping himself for having to try hard not to grin when he thought of his new roommate. He took another drag of his cigarette, shaking his head slowly. _What a mess... _

Beside him, Tre had just flicked his cigarette out to the driveway and Joker's was almost done so he copied him before clapping his hands together a few times, exhaling the last of his smoke. "Alright, go get a mask. Here we go." He said, pointing at the other workbench along the back wall before putting his own breathing mask on over his nose and mouth.

Tre returned shortly, masked, so Joker handed him the other paint sander before he turned to the side of the beautiful purple car he was now facing. However, when he moved to begin sanding, his arms dropped to his sides as his head cocked to one side slowly, gazing at the car until Tre noticed and stopped buffing the paint off to comment.

"Ki, what the fuck are you doing now?" he asked, standing up. Joker blinked, straightening his head up again to reach out and just lightly rest his hand on the shiny, purple hood.

"It's _purple_, Tre." He answered in a soft, affectionate voice from behind his mask but straightened up and turned his sander on when Tre raised his voice.

"Man, you better shut the fuck up and start doin' this shit, or I'm goin' back to bed, for real."

Joker bent slightly to begin sanding but couldn't help but cringe to himself when purple dust slowly began to coat his hands.

Bright sunlight was pouring into Joker's old bedroom when Jayde rolled over, groaning slightly as her arms stretched out to either side of her. As much as she wished he was still there, she was not surprised when both sides of the bed felt cold, as though no one had been there at all. A deep breath went in through her nose, releasing heavily a moment later when she sat up, grinning to herself as she noticed how naked she still was and how nice the lower half of her body still felt.

Once she had found a pair of jeans in her bag and a long sleeved shirt, she opened the door to the bedroom, yawning as she stepped into the living room. The back half of Joker's profile was visible, sitting at the kitchen table and that grin returned to Jayde's face as she walked over to find he had buried himself into a newspaper, reading what appeared to be a very interesting article.

As she sat on the chair across the table from him, Jayde turned her head when she noticed Tre in the kitchen behind her, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the small coffee maker she had failed to even notice. He must have felt her looking at him as he turned, holding up an empty mug.

"Kieron, would you like to offer your lady-friend a cup of coffee?" he asked, glancing at Jayde so she could see he was messing with Joker. She grinned, looking across the table.

Joker huffed slightly, shifting in his seat as he absentmindedly waved a hand from Jayde toward the kitchen, his eyes still glued to the article he was enjoying. Tre scoffed, pouring Jayde a cup of coffee before setting it on the table in front of her, along with a small carton of half and half.

"What an asshole, Jayde." He murmured, just loudly enough that Joker could hear him. Her grin widened as she picked up her mug.

"Yeah, he is, right?" she replied, looking to Joker to smirk around her mug when she noticed his eyes slide slowly from behind the newspaper to glare at her for a few moments before returning to his article.

The kitchen grew quiet for a while as Tre stood silently sipping his coffee, leaned against the kitchen counters as he stared dazedly at the tiles on the floor and Jayde did the same, again distracted by reading the etchings in the table. However after several minutes of this intense, but not awkward silence, both Tre and Jayde jumped slightly when Joker suddenly slapped the flimsy newspaper back together haphazardly, bunching it up under his arms as he folded them on top of the table.

"WOW." He said loudly, looking from Tre to Jayde and back again. "THAT was interesting."

Tre was now arching an eyebrow at him as he stood abruptly from the table, leaving the crumpled newspaper where it lay, only to wag a finger at Jayde as he rounded the table to enter the garage.

"Come outside with me, lovie. I have something to show you." He said, so she stood, bringing her mug of coffee along as he stepped out into the garage. Her eyes immediately fell onto the shiny, black Corvette, sitting in the middle of the garage, exactly as she remembered it before its purple paint job, except maybe a little more polished. Stepping toward it, she noticed that he had even replaced his 'Joe-Kerr' tag with her old Gotham tag and her face wrinkled a bit in a confused frown as she turned to look up at him.

"Why'd you do this?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee as Joker sighed heavily, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Well, we're going to be driving through Gotham today, so I figured…purple car, Joe-Kerr license plate…not exactly…incognito."

"Ooohh…" Jayde replied, nodding her head as she gazed over the shiny black paint. "I bet it killed you to have to paint over that purple."

"Oh, yes. It did." He answered immediately, smirking when Jayde laughed and moved to wrap her arm around his middle to half-hug him.

"So are we leaving soon?" she asked, looking up at him when he took a step back, cringing slightly as he pulled the hair tie from his curly ponytail to shake it out. He nodded a moment later, pulling the elastic onto his wrist.

"Yeah, just as soon as we get our bags together and you finish your…beverage." Joker answered, waving his hand at the still steaming mug of coffee in her hands. "I want to stop by your old place on the way in to get the rest of your necessities." A smile couldn't keep itself from forming on Jayde's face when he said this and luckily he had turned his back to her to re-enter the house, seemingly motivated again to get moving. She had been waiting patiently for the past few days for some sign of any plan he had for moving her in and it seemed like it was about time he told her what his arrangements were.

Back inside the house, Tre had finished his coffee and was now in his bedroom although he emerged when he heard Joker and Jayde enter again.

"Oh, so you guys are finally leaving?" he asked, throwing a charming, familiar smirk at Jayde behind Joker's back as they stepped into the living room. Joker laughed loudly, continuing on his way to the bedroom.

"Don't act like you didn't practically beg me to come stay here for a day or two when I told you we were headed through Chicago." It fell quiet behind them after Joker replied and Jayde looked back to find Tre standing there, looking a bit lost for a comeback. She smirked to herself, knowing no matter how they acted, both Joker and Tre were going to miss each other like crazy once they left.

It was not long before Joker and Jayde had thrown all their clothes into the bags they had brought in from the Corvette and were now in the garage again, carefully loading them into the back of the impeccably clean car. Tre had come out and was seated on the wooden chair in the corner, smoking a cigarette as he watched them with mild interest until Joker walked over, holding his hand out.

"Tre, if you get tired of this place, you've always got a job in Gotham." He said, closing his hand around his best friend's in a tight handshake as he stood up to be eye level and smirk in return.

"I'll be in contact with ya. Stay up, Ki-." Tre replied, glancing at Jayde as she leaned against the passenger door of the car. "Jayde, it was nice meeting you. Try to keep up with him, a'right?" he said, grinning at her as Joker now got into the driver's seat beside her.

"I'll try." She answered, closing the door to sigh as the car started, rumbling loudly in the small garage. Tre raised his hand in a small wave as they pulled out and down the driveway to turn and head toward the interstate ramp.

The night before last, when they had driven through these neighborhoods to get to Tre's house, it had been incredibly dark so now as Jayde's eyes gazed through the window at the run down, shabby-looking houses in the daylight, she realized they were more than likely in the projects of Chicago. Joker had said that he and Tre had chosen to live in the ghetto when they could afford to live somewhere nicer, but keeping a low profile and staying under the radar seemed to be their main focus. She couldn't help but admit to herself how smart their logic was.

Beside her, Joker was quiet while he drove, his eyes focused on the road until Jayde looked over at him, grinning slightly. "I bet you and Tre already miss each other, huh?" she asked, fully smiling when Joker shrugged, obviously playing it off.

"We're not girls, Jayde. We can go long periods of time without seeing each other and its not the end of the world." He replied, rolling his eyes before he looked to the road again, slowing the car at a red light. Glancing over, he noticed that Jayde was still watching him, a knowing grin on her face. He sighed, tossing his hand. "But yes, I'm sure Tre does miss me already."

Several minutes went by, silently weaving their way down side streets and through intersections until signs for the interstate began appearing, indicating that they should make a right turn after a few more lights. Although Jayde was very excited to get back to Gotham, it was obvious Joker was doing everything in his power to stay passive and not appear that he was going to pieces, although Jayde had a feeling he was positively ecstatic to get back, underneath all his attempts at disguising it.

Running through a mental checklist again, Jayde began trying to remember everything she had left in her apartment and wondering whether or not she would be needing it at her new residence. Of course, most of her clothes would have to come, along with shoes, maybe a little of her makeup as well. _Makeup, _she thought, sighing. It had been more than three weeks since she had worn any, although she never wore it that often to begin with. Still, the thought of putting a little mascara or eyeliner on was _very_ exciting to her.

Jayde was in the middle of wondering all of this when beside her, Joker cleared his throat. Looking over, she noticed he was pointing through the passenger window at an old, multi-story, brownstone apartment marked '144'.

"That's the orphanage." He said, his eyes sliding to her face when she turned her head quickly to get a better look.

It was exactly as he remembered it, although from the way the flowers in the windowsills had died and wilted away, the building appeared to have been condemned and now resembled a perfect haunted house with its musty, darkened windows and crumbling façade. The light in front of them turned from red to green so he pulled through it slowly while Jayde continued to stare at the passing building, although his little tour was not over just yet.

"And there…" he pointed again, to a dark, cluttered alley only a block or so after they had passed the brownstone. "-is where they found me." Jayde glanced but did not stare as hard this time before she looked back to Joker to find him smirking while he drove.

"When you were a baby? In that _alley?" _she asked in disbelief, her heart sinking when Joker half-nodded, half-shrugged.

"I wasn't really a _little _baby. I think I was almost two when she found me… At least that's what I was told." He replied, but shrugged again heavier with a smile when he glanced over to find a deeply sympathetic expression on Jayde's face. "Don't look at me like that. It's not a sob story, it's just how it happened. She just walked by and saw a cute little blonde kid, hangin' out with some garbage and now here I am!" Joker paused, snickering to himself slightly as he shook his head. "Honestly, I don't think she knew what she was getting herself into, if you ask me."

It was not long after they had pulled onto the interstate that buildings and neighborhoods gave way once again to fields and pastures and the sirens and city noises faded into silence again, save for the low rumble of the speeding Corvette. The sun was just rising into the mid-day position an hour after they had started driving and honestly, Jayde was at a loss for any sort of conversation starter she could use on Joker. After spending so much time one on one with him, Jayde was beginning to learn how to recognize his moods and currently, he seemed to be in a quiet, pensive one, uninterested in the possibility of talking but unbothered by the silence in the car.

They traveled like this for a while, both quietly absorbed into their own musings until Jayde yawned widely, sighing as she exhaled to rest her head against the seat behind her. Joker noticed this and cleared his throat, slouching slightly as he glanced over at her.

"So Jayde, do you remember what clothes you were wearing all three nights that we went out to find Thomas' people in Montana?" he asked rather abruptly a moment later, squinting slightly when she answered him with a yes. "Alright, well, reach back there and find all of them, including your pants. We gotta ditch 'em."

At first, Jayde obeyed and unbuckled her seatbelt to give herself more room but as she dug through the top bag, the wheels of her mind started turning with questions again. "Why?" she asked a second later only to glance behind her at Joker as he growled in frustration.

"How did I know that was coming next?" he asked himself in a low voice, shaking his head. "Because they're covered in blood, Jayde. I thought I had explained the importance of destroying evidence."

By now, Jayde had found all the clothes and was now gazing down at her favorite pair of jeans, rested in her lap, speckled with small flecks of blood along the front. These pants, she could remember wearing the night she shot Matthew Defalco in the back of his head. Her heart sank a bit but when Joker began to pull the car off into an empty rest area, she sighed, stepping out after him as he stood to look around, once he had parked.

After stretching his arms and back, Joker smirked when he noticed the look on Jayde's face as she leaned against the car with a bundle of her clothes in her arms, gazing down at them reluctantly.

"Aw, Jayde." He began in that old, familiar yet falsely caring voice he used when he feigned sympathy, and he stepped over to her to rest his hand on the top of her head. "Don't be sad." Jayde's eyes rose to meet his and just when she thought he was about to go on with something encouraging, his scars stretched in a wide grin as he produced a small container of lighter fluid and a book of matches from seemingly nowhere. "Wanna go set 'em on fire?" he asked brightly.

Jayde's expression did not change when she replied 'no' but Joker's rather excited grin fell quickly. "Well, _I _ do, so here we go!" he exclaimed, hooking his arm with hers to march her up the small hill behind the restrooms into a thick cluster of trees. When he stopped walking to look at their surroundings, Jayde stopped as well, watching him as he scowled around at the small clearing they had stepped into. This seemed to be the only area that was not completely carpeted with flammable, dead leaves and rather, was merely dirt and larger branches.

After he had sprayed most of the lighter fluid on the clothes, Joker struck a match, tossing it onto the small pile, grinning when it immediately sprung into flames. Beside him, Jayde looked annoyed and honestly, he could not help it that it tickled him so much to see her peeved like this.

"_Jaaayde?_ " he began, inching closer to her, leaning down slightly when she crossed her arms. "Are you going to cry?" Jayde's nose turned the other way as he continued to get closer, his voice clowny and mocking. "Do you feel tears? Are you…choking them back?" he asked tauntingly.

"No," she finally answered, rolling her eyes to herself. A moment later, she gasped when Joker suddenly pulled her to him, his hands gripping her shoulders firmly. At first, she would not meet his eyes but knew of course how much Joker hated that. Instead of using his normal tactic of forcing her face toward his, he leaned down and to the side slightly, trying to meet her eyes, sighing exasperatedly when she looked away, now purposefully dodging his eyes.

However, Joker was always a better player at these sort of games and waited for her to turn her head back the other way where he caught her lips with his, bringing his hand up from her shoulder to her face gently. Her breath escaped her slowly as she relaxed against him, tilting her face up more as Joker stood to his full height from hunched down at her level.

Their kiss did not last long before Joker pulled away abruptly, bringing both hands up to hold her face and shake it slightly. "Stop being such a baby," he said, his eyebrows raised as he once again glanced between her eyes. When her expression softened a moment later, he let go to drape his arm around her shoulders and lean on her slightly as they both faced the burning pile of clothes.

Most of it had been consumed already, to her surprise and as much as it sucked that several of her articles of clothing were now gone, Jayde remembered that they were headed back to her apartment to get more and the thought of this sent butterflies zooming around her stomach.

Jayde's eyes started to water after a while as she stared, transfixed on the fire, until beside her, Joker shifted his weight, breaking her trance. Surprisingly, the fire had burned through the clothes with ease and Joker was now kicking some of the dirt and dead foliage onto it, smothering the ashes and left over scraps until it appeared that nothing had been there in the first place. Jayde jumped when Joker clapped his hands together once, taking a deep breath in to exhale heavily.

"Ta-daaaa…" He finished, in that deep, clowny voice, motioning to the spot where the clothes had just been. She grinned, hooking her hand under his arm when he offered it to her so she could follow him to the waiting Corvette just down the embankment from the thicket of trees.

Back at the car, they had reached the hood and Jayde had just let go of Joker's arm to go get in on the passenger side when he reached out, catching her wrist with his hand to pull her back to him forcefully, immediately catching her lips again. A soft, surprised hum left Jayde against Joker's mouth as he kissed her, his hands moving behind her lower back to pull her closer until his belt buckle was practically touching her belly button. At this point, she was not sure where on earth this had come from, but she definitely didn't care and instead smiled against his lips, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck.

Jayde, at first, was afraid Joker might pull away as it seemed he liked to do that just when she was starting to relax into the kiss but this time, to her surprise, Joker let himself reply, his scars brushing against her when he smirked. He pulled away slightly to open his eyes just a crack, letting his tongue glide quickly along his bottom lip but he met her lips again a moment later, sliding four fingers into her hair.

It was a true testament to how rarely Joker kissed her like this that Jayde's arms were actually kind of tired from staying up around his neck like that. So she let them relax, bringing her hands to rest palm-down on his chest and had just gotten comfortable with having them there when Joker took them in his, pulling away from their kiss to take a full step away from her and shake his head fervently as if trying to shake dizziness away.

Truth be told, Jayde was little breathless herself so she waited a moment or two to ask him, "Where did that come from?", finally opening her eyes when she heard Joker clear his throat as he moved to get in the car.

"_That's _ for calling me an asshole this morning."

Once both had made it back in the car, Joker pulled the Corvette back out onto the interstate, bringing it up to speed while Jayde stared through the passenger window at the passing trees. For some reason or another, she felt awkward all the way to her core with Joker after that kiss and could not place what would cause her to feel that way. The last time she could remember feeling this strange around him was almost a month ago, on their 'second date' when she practically sat in his lap at the Prewitt building, only a few days after he had kidnapped her. Although he played it off, Joker had never kissed her like that before and something about it had made her heart bang against her ribcage like a hammer on bars.

When he had pulled away, Jayde noticed that Joker couldn't…or wouldn't, make eye contact with her and now as he sat beside her, driving, he seemed slightly uncomfortable as well, although Jayde could tell he was trying extra hard not to seem that way. His eyes stayed focused on the road as she looked at him at different times so he wouldn't think she was staring at him and she noticed his scowl seemed deeper than usual.

They rode like this, in complete silence for nearly twenty minutes before it started to get on Jayde's nerves that neither of them wanted to say anything although it was obvious they both felt weird. So instead of asking him a question or making a comment that might irritate him, Jayde simply leaned over slightly to rest her head on that comfortable section of his shoulder to try and fall asleep. She couldn't see his face but hoped deeply to herself that his characteristic smirk had found it's way there.

When Joker looked at the time after what felt like ten minutes, he had to pause and blink a few times to make sure he was seeing it right. "3:41pm" He frowned, glancing down at Jayde, still asleep after nearly three hours since they had stopped to burn her clothes. If his estimate had been accurate, he and Jayde were less than an hour from the farthest reaches of Gotham city and it would not be long before they started seeing signs for the appropriate exits.

With a few jerks of his shoulder, Joker grinned snidely to himself as Jayde's head bounced a few times before she groaned, clutching the curls on the left side of her head. Her eyes creaked open sleepily to see Joker glance over at her from the road, his nose crinkled in an extra cheeky, mischievous grin.

"Good _afternoooon,"_ he said, his voice clowny and raspy. "Nice of you to join us." Jayde figured that he was about to go on but instead of letting him do that, she reached up, pinching the rather soft underside of his upper arm, hard. To her surprise, he gasped loudly, rising out of his seat slightly until she let go, watching him as he brought his other hand from the wheel to the area she had pinched, rubbing it deeply. "OW!" he yelled, now lifting his arm as if checking to see if she drew blood all while Jayde watched him, grinning slightly to herself. It was obvious that had actually hurt him and she made a mental note of that particular, advantageous area for future reference.

"Jayde," he began in a somewhat disbelieving voice. "That really hurt." His knee was still doing most of the driving while he continued to rub the underside of his arm with his thumb, frowning as he glanced at her a few times. Jayde laughed, tossing her hand.

"Oh, so getting shot is a walk in the park." She answered, rolling her eyes. "But I pinch you and you're about to…" she paused, leaning down slightly to inch toward him with her arms. "Joker, are you going to cry?…" she asked slowly, mimicking him. "Do you feel tears?" At this point, Joker stopped rubbing his arm to put his hands back on the steering wheel, the corners of his eyes wrinkling slightly as he tried not to grin.

"Stop it," he said, pushing her hands away. "It only works when I do it."

Jayde sighed, rolling her eyes to run her hand through her messy curls. "So why did you wake me up in the first place?" she asked a moment later, looking to Joker as his scar rose a bit in his smirk. Instead of answering, Jayde followed his eyes to something behind her when he nodded his head. Passing on the right hand side was a huge green sign that read 'Gotham City- Straights ext. 46B' A smile jumped to Jayde's face and she immediately turned to look at Joker to find he too was grinning pretty hard.

It was not long before exit 46B had taken the Corvette into the most outer neighborhoods of Gotham, the most spacious and wealthy homes before a sharp turn into the more shabby, run-down homes as was the charm of Gotham city; the rich and the poor practically shared fences. Soon after exiting the Narrows, dodgy buildings and old, condemned factories gave way to huge, bustling business buildings and more brownstone apartments where Joker decided to roll his window down a few inches, just to hear the low roar of the city. He took a deep breath in only to exhale a moment later with something that resembled contentment until he noticed Jayde watching him with an eyebrow arched.

His own scars stretched a bit when he smirked back, holding out his hand for her to take. "Now it's time for the_ real _ fun."

Author's Note: HEY! Long time, no see! Anyways, here is chapter 34 as promised. Enjoy and review! Chapter 35 is already started so expect that within the next few weeks…


	36. Change

The last time Jayde could remember being in the stairwell of her apartment building, her hands had been handcuffed behind her back, trembling as the same man that walked beside her now dragged her along, forcing her to keep up with his long strides. Now, as she walked beside him again, she grinned, glancing up at him, remembering how repulsed she had been by him that first night. Joker must have felt her gaze on him as he looked over and down, smirking as he skipped ahead a few steps, turning to walk backwards to face her as they made their way down the hallway. His eyebrows bounced twice as he cocked his head to the side.

"See somethin' ya like?" he asked, holding out his arms, grinning that snarl-like smirk when Jayde nodded, trotting forward a few steps to catch his arm as they had finally reached her old door.

From his pocket, Joker produced that same large ring of keys, flipping through them until he found the one that matched this door, before sliding it into the lock to open it slowly. Her old apartment greeted them, familiar to both.

It looked exactly as they had left it, the cabinet and kitchen drawers pulled open from where Joker had been looking for any knives or objects he could fashion into a weapon; Jayde still didn't know if he had ever found anything. The curtains were still pulled closed across the sliding glass door in the living room although she could not remember closing them herself. The sun from outside streamed through them, casting the room in a light blue glow.

Joker took a deep breath as he stepped into the place to set their bags down, smirking slightly to himself. He could remember very clearly standing in that exact same spot nearly a month ago in his purple trench coat, wondering where he ought to leave his rose and poem. It seemed like such a long time ago that Jayde had been so terrified of him and when he turned to find her smiling at him placidly from the door, he felt himself surprised to feel a little bit proud at how far her opinion of him had come.

A light layer of dust covered nearly everything in her bedroom as Jayde stepped into it, turning to sit on the bed. It creaked the same way she could remember it doing and a smile found it's way to her face just when she noticed Joker step into the doorframe to lean against it, his arms folded over his chest. He looked exactly as he had the night he abducted her, except where purple and green had been, he now wore jeans and a black, long-sleeved t-shirt, pulled up to his forearms. His hair, however, was just as green, if not more, and the scars on his face were as noticeable as they had been a month ago, even without makeup. Jayde snorted slightly, fingering the fringe of her comforter somewhat sheepishly.

"You know, the last time we were here, I spent almost the whole time trying to figure out how I could kill you and not end up dead too." She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. Joker laughed slightly from across the room.

"We've come a long way, kiddo." He answered, raising his eyebrows before he squinted, glancing around at the walls of her bedroom. "Ya know…the first night I met you, after you killed that guy and I brought you back here, I spent almost an hour sitting right there, watching you sleep." Jayde's head popped up to find he had motioned toward a spot right next to where she could remember waking up on her back. She could feel her cheeks warming as she looked back to him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"That's weird." She commented, laughing. "Why?"

Joker shrugged, unfolding his arms to take a seat on the area of bed just next to her. His scarred fingers linked together between his knees as he sighed deeply.

"I didn't have anything else to do." He answered, looking over when he felt Jayde's expectant grin fade into a frown. His lips thinned slightly as he smirked, arching an eyebrow at her. "Plus," he continued a few moments later when Jayde continued to stare. "-you're disgustingly cute when you sleep, see…I guess I was trying to memorize everything about you."

This answer was closer to what she had been expecting him to say. Her eyes, however, found it hard to maintain contact with his at the moment and apparently, Joker was feeling some of that same awkwardness as he stood up, walking toward her bathroom. She watched him go, noticing the way his shoulder blades moved when he stretched his arms over his head with a groan.

"Why did you have me kill that guy anyway?" she asked, amazed that after an entire month, this was the first time she had wondered this since the day after it had happened. Joker snorted, standing in front of the mirror to push all his hair away from his face with the thick, t-shirt material headband he had found on the door knob.

"Because he was following you." He answered as though she had asked the most stupid question he had ever heard. "I mean…I had been following you for a week when I _suddenly _ realized that I wasn't the only one." Turning again to face the bedroom, his expression was blank. A moment later, he shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Call it jealousy if you want. But…I couldn't _stand _ the fact that someone else…" he trailed off, cringing slightly as he reached up to scratch an itch underneath his acid green hair. "After doing a bit of…_research_, I found that our old pal, Mister Reicher had been having you watched by that guy…_SO…_" he shrugged again, now distractedly picking at a bit of paint flaking off on the frame of the bathroom door. "…I had you kill him. That's why we took our little vacation to Montana." He finally finished, wiggling his fingers.

Across the room, Jayde was still watching him pensively until she finally grinned, standing to close the distance between them. Her arms moved around his middle and her cheek rested against his chest. At first, his body tensed and a quiet, falsely uncomfortable whimper left him as he tried to peel her off of him but Jayde held tight, laughing when he gave in with a sigh, resting his arms around her.

"Thank you, Joker." She murmured, opening her eyes with a grin when Joker huffed slightly, finally stepping away from her.

"Shut up."

A few minutes later, Joker and Jayde stood in the middle of her bedroom, staring around at her possessions. Jayde had begun to pull clothing from hangers in her closet, placing them on her bed while Joker watched with that squinting, scowling look on his face, hinting at the rapid plan-forming his brain was doing behind those brown eyes of his. When Jayde moved back to the bed with another large wad of clothes, he took a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips determinedly.

"We're gonna need a bigger car."

Of course, Jayde knew by now that Joker had some plan already formed so when he told her that they were going to leave their bags from their trip in her apartment, she asked no questions and simply followed him to the door to step back out into the hallway.

The Corvette was exactly where they had left it, in one of the back spots of the parking garage and it roared to life again as Joker turned the key, glancing behind him to back out. The sun was still beaming brightly outside although the weather in Gotham had seemingly changed while they had been gone, the hot, sticky summer months now slowly giving way to the brisk, crisp cool of October.

When Joker took a right turn back onto the towering interstate, Jayde realized they were taking the same turns they normally took to get back to the 'Joker Mansion' from the most inner parts of Gotham and her heart gave a little leap of excitement to see the huge house again. As though Joker knew what she was thinking beside him, he grunted a laugh, smirking to himself.

"Let's hope Dotcom is still alive, hm?" he grumbled.

Nearly a half hour passed before the Corvette bounced back into the driveway of the large, pale yellow mansion, rumbling faintly before he shut it off, standing to stretch again. Jayde did not wait for him and instead walked through the open garage, smiling to herself when she vaguely remembered the fist fight she and Joker had gotten into seemingly years ago.

At the door leading from the garage to the inside of the house, Joker paused, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at the key he had just slid into the lock. Jayde was just about to ask what he was waiting for when he looked up, scowling.

"I don't think Dotcom has ever seen me without my face on." he explained, glancing at her as Jayde rolled her eyes.

"Who cares?" she answered, meeting his gaze when he turned to glare at her. She continued quickly. "I mean, it was bound to happen eventually. He might not even be here."

This seemed to suffice for the time being so Joker opened the door, revealing the same huge living room she had stepped into all those weeks ago. Someone, presumably Dotcom, had been taking care of the house as it was just as clean as they had left it, the marble floors sparkling as though they had just been mopped. Joker entered the house first, setting his ring of keys down on the small kitchen table with a loud clank, hoping Dotcom would hear their arrival before he stumbled upon them. His hands found his hips as he looked up and around at the inside of the seemingly empty house and he began chewing on his bottom lip in a somewhat anxious manner.

Jayde noticed this but before she could comment or Joker disappear up the stairs, Dotcom's curly red head appeared up on the top landing. He released a breath loudly, his shoulders slumping slightly as he set down the dirty rag he had apparently been cleaning with.

"Oh, hey." He greeted them, coming down the stairs. Jayde grinned, walking over to hug him lightly, looking behind her when she noticed Dotcom glance over at Joker's turned back. His eyes flickered over Joker's outfit before he looked back to Jayde, one eyebrow arched. She shrugged in return, walking over to get a glass out of the cabinet and help herself to some water while Joker struggled to figure out how he could turn around and not see the look on Dotcom's face.

A moment later, he turned from the table, walking over to Jayde to take the glass of water from her hand and down the rest of it, handing it back to her, empty, as he flashed her a grin. "Wait here," he instructed, glancing at Dotcom from the corner of his eyes as he passed him on his way to the stairs. "Dotcom, a pleasure as always." He tossed over his shoulder, pleased with himself at the way he had trained Dotcom not to stare and instead ignore the fact that The Joker was not wearing his usual makeup.

Joker had taken the stairs two at a time and had disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Dotcom and Jayde in the kitchen alone. She had refilled her water glass and was now leaned against the counter, sipping it when Dotcom came over, his eyes wide.

"Wow, uh…" he began, glancing back at the top of the stairs. Jayde nodded, pushing herself up onto the counter to sit.

"Yeah, he hasn't worn it in a few days now." She explained, knowing immediately what he was referring to. "I think he misses it though."

And sure enough a few minutes later, after she and Dotcom had caught up a bit, Joker reappeared, trotting down the stairs, his face painted again into that wide, red smile, his eyes sunken and black. His jeans had been replaced with black pinstripe slacks much like his purple ones, and instead of the black, long-sleeved shirt, he had changed into a plain, white short sleeved tee, now wearing a long trench coat that nearly matched his purple one, however this one was also completely black. Jayde grinned to herself when Joker clapped his hands loudly, echoing in the tall room.

"How 'bout it, Jayde? We're ready to leave?" he asked, walking toward them purposefully. Before she could reply, he held out his hand to Dotcom. "May I have the keys to the truck, sir?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at him until he produced the set of keys from his back pocket, but hesitated, glancing at Jayde.

"Are you going to get her stuff? 'Cause, I'll help if you want me to follow you in the truck…" Dotcom offered somewhat hesitantly, making it obvious that throwing a wrench, however helpful, into Joker's plans was often frowned upon. However, this time the idea seemed to strike a note with Joker as he simply squinted, thinking at Dotcom until he nodded, pointing at him with the hand he had still been extending. Jayde grinned at Dotcom behind his back when Joker turned to pass into the garage, still nodding.

So now with a slight change in plans, Joker and Jayde now sat in the Corvette with Dotcom just behind them, following suit in the black Escalade. Before they had left the garage, Joker had handed a small, black walkie-talkie to Dotcom, who accepted it without hesitation and Jayde would have commented but figured it was probably easier to communicate through those versus a cell phone. Now, as she and Joker rode along, once again on the interstate, Jayde looked over, resting her head back against the seat.

"There isn't a whole lot I need to bring." She commented rather off-handedly. "Really just clothes and bathroom stuff." Across from her, Joker's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced over.

"_Bathroom_ stuff?" he asked as if she had spoken another language. "As in-…?"

Jayde laughed, rolling her eyes. "You know, _girl _ shampoo, conditioner…tampons 'n stuff…"

"_What?"_ he asked again, loudly. Jayde shook her head, laughing.

"Uh, yeah, Joker. Girls have periods." She explained, grinning at him when his face fell and his eyes rolled.

"Yeah, I know." He answered dryly. "It's fascinating. Females are the only creatures on earth that can bleed for five days and not die…I think that's _very _ interesting…" by now he had been distracted by maneuvering through Gotham's inner city and his voice began to trail off. "-makes me think they're up to somethin'…" he added a moment later as they stopped at a red light. His right elbow came to rest on the center console and he leaned on it, his head turning to look at Jayde. It seemed that he was just about to continue when he paused, his eyes sliding from Jayde's to the passenger window right behind her. His mouth closed again and he smirked, again looking to Jayde. "Look." He finally said, motioning toward the window with his head.

Turning, Jayde's eyes fell onto the store-front of the familiar Starbucks where she used to work, the store currently bustling and busy with customers. At first she wasn't sure how she felt about the sight of it but Joker didn't leave her much time to dwell. He cleared his throat, reaching up to put his right arm behind Jayde's seat.

"I was just about _riiight _ here when I saw you for the first time." He began, grinning when her head turned quickly to look at him. "You were sitting in that chair, _riiight _ there." Jayde was not sure what to say at first, but luckily he went on, his eyes still gazing at the front of the store. "I thought you were looking at me but then I realized you were just day-dreaming." He finished, again looking down at her as she frowned slightly.

"So the story you told Audrey about how we met…that was true?" she asked, watching his face as he turned back to the road once the light had turned green and he nodded, appearing the slightest bit proud of himself.

"Of course it was! I'm not a liar!" he replied, shrugging. "I _literally _ was riding by in the car behind us and I saw you sitting in _that _window._That's _ how I found ya."

Jayde opened her mouth to comment but hesitated, her eyes falling from Joker onto the car they had just crept up alongside at the next red light. The words "Gotham Police" were emblazoned along the side in large, bold blue letters against the stark white. The numbers near the hood told her that this was patrol car number 163, which was now so close to Joker's side of the car, Jayde could see a bit of paint peeling from it's door. Joker had noticed her eyes shift past him but he paused, watching her expression for a moment or two before turning to look.

Several silent seconds passed here where Jayde watched as the officer looked over from writing a ticket in his car and Joker's scars curved upward into a taunting, evil grin as the two men locked eyes. Time seemed to shift into slow motion for a few blinks as the officer flipped his lights on and Joker put his foot down on the gas, speeding through the light that had just switched to green, leaving a dense cloud of burnt rubber smoke behind the Corvette.

Jayde's hair slapped her in the face as she turned quickly to look behind them just as the front of the cop car came barreling through the smoke with ease, it's sirens wailing away as Joker took the Corvette up to almost seventy miles an hour down the long, main street. It seemed panic was rendering her unable to speak or scream but beside her, Joker was sitting up in his seat, glancing in the rear view mirror.

"Ok, listen, Jayde-.." he began, but she had finally found her tongue and cut across him.

"Joker!" she exclaimed as more police had begun following them and were now gaining ground, just as he made a sharp left onto another long street. The tires squealed a bit but Joker's voice was much louder than anything outside the car at this point.

"Jayde! Listen!" he nearly shouted, glancing over to make sure she was paying attention. "You have to tell them I was horrible to you." He explained, his voice now only slightly raised to be heard over the roaring engine. The look of panic on her face was almost too much for him at that point, so he kept his eyes on the road, now hooking a wide right in which the tires skidded again, fishtailing them slightly. The wailing police sirens were closing in. "Don't tell them about Montana at all, don't mention the house or Dotcom…Jayde, don't tell them my name. Don't tell them anything." He paused, his shoulders slumping slightly as he shook his head. "You gotta tell them I did that to your face. Ok?" he asked but when she hesitated, he raised his voice again. "Jayde, promise me!"

Tears had begun to blur her vision and as hard as she tried to fight it off, she nodded her head, wet trails now streaking her cheeks. "I promise."

By now, two cruisers had caught up and were now flanking the Corvette closely on either side, the blue, red and white lights flashing in sync. A nauseas, overwhelming feeling had begun to creep up inside Jayde and the seatbelt catching her when Joker slammed on the brakes did nothing to help. The tires again screamed but by the time Joker had spun the car, the nearly ten police cars had by then caught up and were now stopped in a blockage, stretching across almost the entire street. Several of the officers had already gotten out and were now crouched behind their open doors, aiming at the black Corvette.

A rather nonchalant, disappointed sigh left Joker as he shut the car off, leaning back against the seat to look over at Jayde and smile placidly. Her eyes met his as a loud megaphone broke the near silence.

"You're done, Joker! Try anything and we WILL shoot!"

Vaguely, far off, Jayde felt her hand move as Joker gripped it to let his thumb rub the back it gently. "I guess this is it, kiddo." He murmured, his grin expanding when he noticed more tears gathering along the bottom of her eyes. "Don't cry."

"Send the girl out first!"

The megaphone came again, louder and Jayde blinked, her eyes wide.

"Go on." Joker put quietly, nodding his head. "Remember, you promised."

The air outside the car seemed to be completely solid as Jayde stepped out of the car slowly, holding her hands up slightly when an officer shouted at her to do it. Once convinced she was unarmed, a man ran out toward her with a blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders to rush her off to the side as if she was some sort of victim. However, Jayde shrugged it off, turning to look back at the car as the megaphone sounded again.

"Get out and walk forward with your hands up, Joker! NOW!"

The street fell silent as the door slowly bounced open before Jayde could see the upper torso of The Joker now standing outside the car with his hands just raised slightly, a snarling, crooked grin on his face. "All of these people?" he was asking loudly of the police commissioner on the megaphone. "Just for _me?"_

"Put your hands up! Higher!" he merely shouted in return but Joker cringed, shaking his head.

"You know, I think they're fine right here." He replied, but paused as a swat team member approached him cautiously, a long automatic rifle poised in his hands. "Oh, hello." Joker greeted him in an almost polite voice, severely contradictory of the expression on his face.

"On your knees!" the man shouted, jabbing Joker in the ribs hard with the end of his gun. Jayde's fingers tightened around the discarded blanket when she noticed Joker struggle not to wince from the blow to almost the exact same place she had extracted his bullet several days before. Whether or not he was going to do it willingly, the pain forced him to his knees anyways where he leaned over slightly, squinting up at the swat team member in front of the sun.

"Can I get a _please _next time?" he asked but grunted slightly when several officers rushed him, forcing him onto his stomach with his face against the ground. One of them pushed their knee into the back of his neck while the one of the others handcuffed his hands behind his back.

From where she was standing, Jayde could barely hear Joker laughing under the sound of her heartbeat, banging away at the inside of her chest. It was incredibly difficult at the moment to keep her face passive while Joker was lifted from the ground to his feet roughly and made to stand still while the officers patted him down, starting at his shoulders on down to his ankles.

It seemed that Jayde had blinked maybe four times since the sirens had erupted but vaguely, as she watched the police commissioner now approaching The Joker, she felt someone touch her arm. Turning quickly, she found that the officer that had pulled her away from the car was looking down her and that an ambulance had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Miss, we're going to take you to the hospital." He said rather quietly, glancing over the top of her head at the scene in the middle of the street. "He's going away." The tall officer added a few moments later, apparently mistaking Jayde's stunned silence as fear as he added "You're safe now."

Behind him, she could see the back doors to the ambulance swing open where a whole team of paramedics stood, waiting with their monitors and machines. But when the same hand that had touched her just moments prior reached out to take her arm again, she shied away from it, shaking her head.

"No." she finally said, pulling the blanket back up to her chest to hold onto it. "I-…I want to see him go." When the officer let go of her arm slowly with a confused glance at his fellow, Jayde turned her back to them, hoping they had taken that the way she had meant it to sound. Her rapid heartbeat came back to command her hearing and soon that was practically all she could hear.

"Honestly, I did not expect you to cooperate like this, Joker and not take several of my officers' lives." The commissioner was saying as he walked up to the tall fugitive turned captive. The clown laughed, tossing his head slightly.

"Hm, well, the day is still young, uh…Com-missioner." Joker replied, his scars stretching to show nearly all of his teeth in a wide snarl. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you what happened the last time we tried this." He then ended in a low growl. The much shorter, grey-haired man's somewhat accomplished smirk faded quickly until he took a step closer, pressing his gun against The Joker's chest.

"The last time we caught you," he began, moving his face closer. "You got away because you had planned to be caught." Across from him, The Joker began to cock his head to the side slowly, squinting. "This time, you weren't ready."

"Ahh…Or _was_ I, Commissioner…?"

Silence overtook the street again as the two men stared each other down until Gordon shook his head, turning to shout orders. "Get him back to MCU! Get this street cleared back up!…" The yelling continued but Jayde was no longer listening and instead met Joker's eyes from across the street as he was turned, their gazes locking momentarily until he was pushed roughly into the back seat of the nearest police cruiser. Several more tears traveled quickly down Jayde's cheeks but she wiped them away hastily, hoping none of the officers and detectives around her had seen.

With Joker now gone and the Corvette abandoned in the middle of the street, Jayde felt that overwhelming sinking feeling come crashing back into her stomach. The paramedics and police officers were now ushering her into the back of the ambulance although Jayde knew they would find nothing wrong with her. She played along however and lay down willingly along the stretcher, leaning her head back to finally rest her eyes, all while the people around her talked quietly, taking her blood pressure and pulse.

"How are you feeling, Jayde?" a woman's voice asked a few moments later, just as the ambulance began moving. At first, Jayde wanted to say absolutely fine, but on second thought, she was supposed to be playing a victim.

"I'm tired. I'm just really tired." She answered, keeping her eyes shut in an effort to keep her tears back, however her voice quaked a bit when she continued. "I just really want to sleep." A hand reached out to lightly smooth her hair back from her face and Jayde supposed it was the woman who had just spoken.

"Jayde, I'm Officer Taylor." Now came a deeper, male voice. "When we get to the hospital, it will take about an hour to do a physical evaluation…" he paused when the woman's voice murmured to him.

"Are they going to need an S.A. kit?" she asked and Jayde opened her eyes to look at the officer just to the left of her. He nodded in response apparently before he realized she was looking at him as he stammered slightly when he noticed her.

"Uh, but after they run a few tests, we'll be headed to the station to get a formal statement from you…if that's alright." The officer added this to the end as if to make it seem like it was a request although Jayde was almost positive it was not. She closed her eyes again, resting her head back down.

"After all of that, can I go home?" she asked, the thought of which caused more tears to come, more quickly this time.

"Yes, you'll be free to go home." he answered and it took almost everything in her not to laugh sarcastically. _Home…_right…

**Go to the next chapter! They are meant to go together but it was too long so I split them up…Keep going!**


	37. Promise

**PART 2**

Nurses, doctors and patients alike all stared openly at Jayde as she walked into the emergency room, in between two tall officers, flanked closely by a paramedic. It had taken several attempts to convince all of them that she was perfectly capable of walking and argued that it was already embarrassing enough having the scar on her face without being wheeled in through a room of people on a stretcher. Whether or not she was actually embarrassed by her scar, she was hoping they would never find out.

The white exam room was absolutely freezing, forcing Jayde to tuck her arms around herself once she had changed into a hospital gown upon orders from a nurse. Through the half-closed blinds across from her, she could see the two officers talking, glancing at the door every now and again; she was absolutely positive they were talking about her. At first, Jayde tried to think of Joker and where he was and what was happening to him but this only proved to bring the tears back so she fought the thoughts and instead closed her eyes again, still holding herself against the cold.

It seemed almost an hour had passed before two solid knocks on the exam room door preceded the entrance of an older woman in a white lab coat, followed closely by another woman wearing normal, civilian clothes although it was hard for Jayde to overlook the gun and badge on her belt. She took a deep breath as she stepped over to the side of the bed where Jayde had finally gotten comfortable and lay down.

"Jayde, I'm Detective Mitchell…" the woman began, reaching out to place her hand on Jayde's forearm. "Do you feel like you're well enough to answer some questions?"

At first, it had been incredibly difficult for Jayde not to pull her arm away from this woman's icy cold touch seeing how her sadness was beginning to seep away to allow a bit of anger to brew. Jayde had never asked for anyone to be nice to her and she was starting to loathe the fake kindness these people were showing her. Didn't any of them think she might just want to be alone?

"I feel fine." She answered in a monotone voice, again closing her eyes. "Like I said, I'm just really tired."

"Yes, I expect you are. If everything checks out and as soon as we're done here, you can go home. They can wait until tomorrow for your statement at the precinct." The detective answered but Jayde shook her head, sitting up.

"No," she began. "No, I don't want to have to go back tomorrow. I want to do it all today." Beside her, Jayde could tell the nurse had looked up and was now having a silent conversation with Detective Mitchell across the room.

"Well, alright, but make sure you say something if we're pushing you too hard."

_Something, _Jayde thought bitterly.

Another constricting blood pressure cuff was fitted around her upper arm and while the nurse took her vitals, Jayde was busy watching the detective, standing at the bedside table, filling out what appeared to be an entire stack of paper work.

"Jayde, do you happen to know the date that you were abducted? If you don't, it's fine." She asked, squinting slightly as Jayde sighed, closing her eyes to try and think.

"No," she finally answered after several moments. "It was about a month ago…That's as good as I can do."

"And did The Joker ever say why he went after you?"

Burning, poisonous tears threatened to overtake Jayde again at the mention of his name but she sniffed them back hard, opening her eyes to glare at the ceiling. "He never gave the same answer. I asked him a couple times and he gave a different answer every time." Upon looking at the detective, Jayde realized she looked as though she were about to ask a follow-up question but she cut across her, shaking her head. "All of his answers were jokes, never the truth."

The questions ceased momentarily as the nurse had now moved to examine the long, neat cut on her face and had motioned for the detective to come over and look. Jayde's eyes again closed as she could very distinctly remember the feel of Joker's gloved hand holding her face exactly the way the nurse was now, except, if possible, more gently. She gritted her teeth when the nurse jerked her head a bit, tilting it toward the light.

"The Joker did this to you?" the nurse asked, still poking along the cut a little less than delicately. Jayde nodded, pulling her face from the woman's grip as her patience had just run dry.

"Yeah." She finally voiced, scrunching her face up to turn the other way as the previous tears commanded her to let a few of them fall. "H-he did that." A momentary silence filled the room as both women had seemingly noticed the emotion in her voice. It was another several seconds before the detective spoke again, this time more quietly.

"How long ago, Jayde?" she asked, rounding the bed again to walk over to the large black bag she had brought with her.

Jayde sniffed, sitting up slightly in the bed. "Um…about two weeks ago…maybe three. I don't really remember." She answered, trying to keep her voice as strong as possible without sounding strained.

Detective Mitchell had returned and was now holding a black camera at her side as if hoping Jayde would not notice it. "Hmm…" she hummed, switching places with the nurse at the head of the left side of the bed.

"I'm going to take a picture of your face, Jayde. They'll need photographic evidence against this dirt-bag if-…" she continued but Jayde interrupted what was sure to be a convincing little speech, nodding her head impatiently.

"YES." She agreed loudly. "That's fine."

The camera began to click soon after but Jayde was beyond being anxious or upset at this point. It was obvious the police, this detective and anyone else involved in her 'case' were completely uninterested in what Jayde wanted and merely needed her to help put Joker away. At this point, Jayde was nothing but a pawn.

Behind Jayde's eyelids she could see the continuous flashes from the camera, counting them at first until she found her brain was too tired for that. The nurse and detective seemed to be having some sort of hushed conversation just next to the bed as if Jayde could not hear them. At first, she had tried to ignore it but now tuned in slightly when she heard Joker's name whispered.

"It just appears so neat and not at all uneven." The nurse was saying, obviously watching the detective as she continued to snap pictures, now moving to Jayde's arms for pictures of bruises or cuts, although there were none. Detective Mitchell did not reply right away. "I mean, look. There are even marks from stitches and they're perfect…evenly spaced and everything…It just seems unlikely that The Joker would treat the wound _he _made."

"Jayde," the detective now spoke again and Jayde opened her eyes when she hesitated to continue. "Did The Joker ever have a surgeon or doctor, even a nurse of some sort take care of your cut?"

For the first time in what had accumulated to almost three hours since she had left the abandoned Corvette, Jayde froze, unable to simply spit out a lie like she had been doing. Her mouth was suddenly very dry and she licked her lips slowly, closing her eyes to try and think and instead appear to be trying to remember.

"Um…After he did this, he must have slipped me some sort of drug…'cause I cant remember anything from after it." She paused, opening her eyes to again look up at Detective Mitchell who was still surveying her scar with a deep look of interest. "When I woke up like a day later, I had stitches." This information seemed to spark another question in the detective but Jayde again, cut across her, knowing what it would be. "And I took them out myself."

Before too long, the detective murmured something to the nurse which Jayde did not catch before the nurse left the room, leaving the detective and Jayde alone in the room. Of course at this point, Jayde expected some sort of conversation from Detective Mitchell but instead remained quiet when it seemed she had nothing to say. It didn't matter anyway; the nurse had returned and was now holding a small, white box. There were words marked on it but the nurse seemed to make sure it was far enough from Jayde that she was not able to read any of them.

"Alright, Jayde…" the detective began, moving to the bedside once more. "This is the last part and I need to ask some tough questions, but…you seem like a strong girl. I think you'll be able to answer them." Her voice was dripping with that false sense of sweetness Jayde had recognized earlier…it made her skin crawl. "But if you can't, just say the word and we'll stop." When she paused, Jayde nodded her head in response, just wishing she would hurry up.

However instead of the detective continuing, the nurse spoke up from the foot of the bed, where she had moved two horribly familiar metal stirrups into place. "Jayde, if you could just put the heels of your feet right here and scoot to the end up the table, I'm just going to have a look and take a small sample, alright?" Words were again failing her so instead of arguing or asking a question, Jayde obeyed, doing as the nurse had asked her to do.

Now it was Detective Mitchell's turn.

"I hate to ask this, Jayde but…was there ever a time when the Joker touched you or possibly took advantage of you?"

There it was, the question Jayde absolutely knew was coming next. The tears had sprung to her eyes before she had even finished asking it and she could do nothing to stop them as they began to spill down her cheeks, first the left one, then the right. The left tear spilled onto the top of her scar, following the curve until it reached her lips where Jayde could taste it's saltiness. She sniffed, resting her head back when the cold claspers made intimate contact with her body.

"Yes." She nodded, again composing herself, although she had to ball her hands at her sides to hide their trembling. "Several times." In front of her, Jayde heard the nurse 'tsk' sympathetically before Detective Mitchell reached out, again smoothing her hair back from her face. This time, Jayde could not help herself but move her head away, closing her eyes again as she sighed irritably; she could not help it anymore.

"When was the last time he assaulted you?" Detective Mitchell asked, that false note of kindness gone from her voice now that she had realized that Jayde was not the type to be interested in sympathy.

On the inside of her eyelids, Jayde could very clearly picture The Joker leaning over her less than twenty four hours ago, groaning as he threw some of his hair out his face. She could remember perfectly the sound of his gravely voice when he growled that it was '_his turn' _ while he took control, moving to be between her legs. She opened her eyes to keep from lingering too long on that now painful thought, however pleasurable it may be.

"Um…last night."

A dense, overwhelming silence filled the room as the nurse reached for a cotton swab wherein the detective made a note on her document and Jayde nearly shuddered. All of this lying about Joker was starting to affect her; if only she could tell them how smart, funny and charming he was aside from all the inhumane and crazy attributes he contained. The nurse broke the silence after what felt like an hour.

"Jayde, you poor thing, sweetie." She began, 'tsk'ing again. "He must have been really rough with you to leave that kind of bruising in there." For the first time since Joker had been arrested, Jayde's scar twitched a bit in her effort to staunch her smile.

"Yes, he was." she answered. "I would scream at him 'Stop! Don't! No! But he never seemed to hear me…" _Probably because I was actually screaming 'No! Don't stop!'_

Another hour later, Jayde found herself in another absolutely freezing room, although this one was much less comfortable and leagues less inviting than even a hospital room. The walls of this interrogation room of sorts were a musty, dirty white, tile-covered bricks, some of which were broken away and crumbling from what Jayde was assuming were altercations with more violent inmates. The room was completely empty save for two metal chairs on either side of a plain, metal table, all three bolted to the ground. Huge two-way mirrors lined either side of the room and Jayde felt rather sick when she realized there were probably more than three people watching her at the same time from the other side of the 'mirrors'.

The large metal door across from her swung open after nearly half an hour, revealing Officer Taylor, Detective Mitchell and the police commissioner whom Jayde only recognized by his rather thin frame, his rectangle glasses and fluffy graying moustache. When he spoke, she then recognized his voice as the same voice on the megaphone from hours ago. However, when he smiled at her, the corners of his eyes wrinkled kindly and Jayde finally felt a bit of heart-felt warmth emanate from him.

"Jayde, my name is Jim Gordon." He greeted her, holding out his hand in a friendly gesture as he sat across from her at the table, shaking hers gently when she extended it. "I understand you've had a pretty tough month." Jayde shrugged, tucking her arms against her.

"It was bad but honestly, it probably could have been a lot worse." She replied, glancing to her left and right at Officer Taylor and Detective Mitchell who had both settled themselves to lean against the windows, listening intently. Jim Gordon's salt and pepper eyebrows rose a bit.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, pulling toward him the manilla file folder Detective Mitchell had just set down. He opened it to begin rifling through the papers while Jayde paused.

"Well, besides cut my face up and rape me a few times, The Joker didn't do much with me." she hesitated again when a deep silence followed her words. "I mean, I could be dead, right? That would be worse."

"Jayde, I'll be honest with you. It doesn't seem like you're very unnerved by any of this." His voice was quiet, the smiles gone from his eyes at this point. He leaned forward slightly, peering at her over the tops of his glasses. "Most of The Joker's victims don't even make it back to this table."

At this, Jayde remained quiet, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with the commissioner as he surveyed her. "I'm not saying I'm not lucky to be alive." She finally said, looking away when he expected her to go on. When she did not, he continued, again rifling through papers.

"Which makes me wonder why The Joker held onto you for so long when he obviously had no purpose for you. He never told you why he took you?"

Jayde shook her head, linking her fingers together in between her legs. "No." she answered, looking him in the eyes. "I'm sure you know by now that the Joker doesn't make plans or schemes. He takes what he wants when he wants it…and I guess I was what he wanted."

None of that was a lie.

The room fell quiet again for several long moments before Detective Mitchell spoke up. "Jayde, do you remember where The Joker was staying? Where he was hiding?" she asked, crossing the room to stand next to the table. Jayde shook her head.

"No, I was in a room but I couldn't tell you where it was. He covered his bases pretty well."

The questions continued for quite some time, mostly asked by the commissioner although the detective and police officer jumped in a few times, either expressing their sympathy for Jayde or asking her if she needed to stop. Knowing this would continue until they were done regardless of how she felt, Jayde told them no, that she was fine every time they asked until Commissioner Gordon finally sighed, closing the file folder to cross his hands over it on top of the table.

"Jayde, you are a very strong woman to be able to do all of this today. But despite how well you are feeling today, it sometimes takes months, even years to get over something like this. So I'm going to write down the number of a victim support counselor and recommend that you go at least once a week for a month or so, just until you feel like you're ready." He explained, standing and although Jayde was ready to argue with him and say that he's out of his fucking mind for thinking she was going to counseling for a month, the exhaustion had finally set in so she remained seated until he continued, merely nodding her head.

"But for now, Detective Mitchell here will be taking you home where two officers will be on watch outside your apartment building tonight." He went on to explain, tucking the folder under his arm. He then turned to the large mirror just next to the table. "Tell Barnes that I want The Joker in here now. I'm not waiting until tomorrow to give him more time to come up with-…" he was saying but Jayde was being made to stand up and leave the room behind the two men, who's voices trailed off as she passed around the corner.

"Come with me, Jayde. We're going to get you home." Detective Mitchell said gently, hooking her hand under Jayde's elbow to escort her toward the doors which she could remember being just past the holding cells after the long, window filled hallway. The room just off to the side of the interrogation room, Jayde noticed, was absolutely full of people and her stomach churned as she realized they had all been sitting there listen to Jayde give 'details' on The Joker 'raping' her. Something about this made her slightly angry and she was about to comment when Detective Mitchell suddenly pushed her body against Jayde's moving her closer to the wall.

Now confused _and _ angry, Jayde huffed, looking up at the tall woman who was now watching as three people rounded the corner just ahead of them. Her heart stopped beating altogether and her breath caught in her throat as she looked up to find that the Joker, escorted by two rather large officers had just rounded the corner, his hands handcuffed in front of him, his wrists linked tightly to another metal chain around his waist. He noticed her at the same time.

A genuine, charming grin had jumped to his face at first as they made eye contact but his eyes narrowed when he noticed the detective standing next to her, practically shielding her from him. His snarling grin widened as he drew closer, again looking to Jayde to wink at her as he passed. She knew he had done that in front of the detective to be creepy, but something about it made Jayde struggle to resist the urge to smile.

By the time Detective Mitchell had moved, Joker and the officers had already disappeared into the room in which Jayde had just been but she was now being pulled along again, down the hallway, away from Joker. "I'm sorry you had to see him, Jayde-" she was saying but Jayde ignored this, pulling against the detective's grip.

"Wait, wait." She began, turning to glance back at the dark room where all the officers stood, awaiting the second act to the show. "I want to watch. I want to know what he says." Her head motioned toward the small room, resisting the detective.

"Jayde, lets just get you home-…" she began to argue but now tears were coming to Jayde's aid again.

"Please, I need this." She whimpered. "I…hate him. I need to see him go away forever…please."

At first, Detective Mitchell stared at her with a perplexed expression on her face, but when Jayde let out a small sob, glancing behind her at the room, she seemed to believe her and let go of her arm to follow her into the crowded dark room.

A few heads turned to look at who had entered but Jayde ignored their stares, her stomach flipping over at the sound of Joker's clowny voice coming through the speakers in the room. Detective Mitchell stood just behind her, placing her hand on her shoulder as though she thought Jayde needed some sort of comfort although just hearing his voice was comfort enough. He was alone in the room with the two officers that had brought him in, talking quietly to either them or himself; even Jayde was not sure at that point.

"Oh, the old familiar places…" he groaned, smirking around at the windows, lingering on one while his eyebrows furrowed and he licked his lips. "I see they've…_repaired _ the one Batman broke with my _face." _He then added bitterly, tossing his head to flip some of his stringy, messy curls out of his eyes just as the door swung open, revealing once again the commissioner. Jim Gordon looked almost like a different person, that kind expression gone from his eyes, replaced by something Jayde recognized instantly as pure loathing. Joker seemed to recognize this as well and his grin expanded until he was smiling from ear to ear, his eyes mere slits in his face.

"Just the man I wanted to see." He growled, sitting forward on his chair a bit when the commissioner sat across from him. It appeared as though he was about to continue, but Gordon cut across him, opening the same file he had just had when Jayde was in there.

"Shut it, Joker. I don't have time for games tonight." He began, pulling from the folder several pieces of paper to spread them out in front of the Joker, who grinned, lowering his head to look at them.

By now, Jayde had inched to the front of the room and was now only a foot or so from the glass, watching intently. From where she was standing, Jayde could see that the pieces of paper were actually pictures of the side of her face.

"Tell me, Joker, if you cut her face, then why did you bother to stitch it back up again?" he asked sharply, leaning forward slightly when Joker continued to gaze at the pictures.

"Well, I needed her alive, didn't I?" he answered after several long moments, his eyes now lifted and looking at the commissioner.

"Why? Why did you go after her?"

Joker laughed loudly, tossing his head again slightly. "She was easily accessible to me, you see…It wasn't _hard…_But I was, as some call it, _bored_ and in need of some…entertainment…and…" he paused again, leaning forward to bounce his eyebrows twice. "- she was _very _ entertaining, Commissioner."

Something deep inside of Jayde twisted as she listened but at remembering that this was just an act, she shook his words away, trying to focus on what he had said to her several weeks ago.

"_I'm not a real friendly guy, Jayde, so when I say that I care about you, you'll know I'm tellin' the truth." _

At the present, Jayde took in Joker's appearance as he sat somewhat hunched at the table, with his hands still cuffed together in his lap. The clean black pants he had been wearing several hours ago now looked rather dirty, with smudges of white makeup along his right knee. His t-shirt was still mainly white save for one small trail of dark red splotches near the collar where Jayde assumed he had already fought someone and ended up with the fresh cut she now noticed near his chin. The once even makeup he had been wearing was now practically gone, until the top left half of his face where the faded line began at his nose, his eye still black and the top half of his left scar still red. Honestly, he looked a little worse for wear.

Jayde jumped when Jim Gordon suddenly slammed his hand down on the table, rising to his feet. "You are the lowest, most useless human I have ever encountered and you're lucky we live in a state where the death penalty is not an option." He paused, leaning more slightly forward when Joker raised his eye brows mockingly, smirking.

"You say this as though the thought of death actually scares me, Commissioner Gordon…like I should view this as a threat." Joker replied, his voice now matching the level at which Gordon had just had his. It grew louder when he stood up, now towering slightly over the shorter, graying man. "So if any of us should fear death, sir," he continued, motioning his head at the window where Jayde and the officers watched. "- it should be _you_." His voice fell again and that smirk returned to it's normal place, elongating his scars as he glared at Jim Gordon. "Because you have _a lot _ more to lose than I do."

A heavy silence followed Joker's words where Jayde rubbed her forearms a few times, trying to rid herself of the goosebumps that coated them. Even the small viewing room seemed to be holding it's breath until one of them would break the silence; Joker was first.

"So since you can't hope to get information from me by…'threatening' me with a peaceful and perfectly timed death by lethal injection, how about I ask a favor of you. Then if you make good on this…favor, I will…answer your questions." He said, now resting his linked hands on the table. "Since my history as you see, is…more of a 'multiple choice'."

It seemed Jim Gordon was processing this request as his moustache twitched a few times, his forehead wrinkled and furrowed while Jayde wondered furiously what Joker was going to ask for. She had a feeling the officers and detectives around her were thinking the same thing as the room seemed to breathe a sigh when the police commissioner leaned forward, nodding his head.

"What is it?"

Joker hesitated, moving more toward the edge of his chair. "I need you to let dear little Jayde keep that car, Commissioner." He said and Jayde froze as she felt every head in the room turn to look at her. Jim Gordon was about to speak when Joker shook his head hard, cutting across him. "There is no bomb, it's not going to explode or catch on fire, nothing. I swear."

There was a long pause here where the commissioner stared at the Joker, assessing his honesty as he again began thinking furiously. "Why?" he finally asked, watching when Joker leaned forward again, lowering his voice.

"Because you and Jayde have something in common, Commissioner." Joker began, his eyes glistening with malice. "See you and Jayde have both lost a parent in the line of duty…and that car is the last piece of her father that she has with her…you understand how that is, don't you?"

The Commissioner glanced at the window where Jayde and everyone else was watching before he looked back to find The Joker grinning that evil, awful smirk.

"Fine, but if my people find anything wrong with that car, you will answer for it." He finally said, standing. Joker laughed, rocking back in his chair.

"Oooh…I'm scared."

Once Jim Gordon had left the room, Joker was lifted to his feet again by the tall officers and led through the other end of the room back to where Jayde assumed the holding cells were. The heavy, metal door swung shut behind him and Jayde exhaled heavily as tears again met her eyes, not even bothering to accumulate before they traveled down her cheeks. That was it; Joker was gone.

All this time, Jayde had been so enraptured by this interrogation that she had completely forgotten about the detective's hand on her shoulder and as she allowed herself a few soft hiccups of sadness, the tall woman sighed, trying to console her. "Jayde, he's gone. He can't hurt you anymore." She murmured gently, as if that was what Jayde needed to hear. "Let's take you home, alright?"

The back doors to the police precinct swung open before them, the now cold evening air rushing against her cheeks to chill the moist trails there. She shivered slightly, folding her arms against herself as she began to wonder where the sun had gone and if the last time she could remember waking up was even part of the same day. It seemed years ago now that Jayde had been laying in that bed next to The Joker or standing in the middle of the woods with him, kissing him. The police cruiser began to pull away from the station but Jayde closed her eyes to keep those tears back as they threatened to spill again.

"Jayde," Detective Mitchell began, glancing over once they had stopped at a red light near her apartment. "You know if you ever need anything, you can always call me, alright?" Jayde nodded, but looked down when she pushed a small business card into her hand. "Anytime, day or night."

"Thanks," Jayde answered, tucking it into her pocket absentmindedly. The sight of her apartment building's parking garage was enough to bring back the tears but this time, she really choked them back hard, not wanting Detective Mitchell to waste anymore time being sympathetic. "I think I got it from here." She said quietly once she had parked and surprisingly, the detective nodded, blinking slowly.

"Alright, Jayde, if you would do me a favor and just call the number I wrote on that card when you actually get inside your apartment, just so I know you made it alright." She asked, her eyes searching Jayde's face as she got out of the car, pulling out the card to glance at it.

"Yeah, that's fine. I will." Jayde answered, mildly wondering how on earth she was going to do that without a phone.

Minutes later, she again found herself in the stairwell, taking deep steadying breaths to keep from sinking into tears again. Joker would not want her to be this upset over him being arrested, but at this point, that was only half of the reason Jayde was so upset. Her brief foray into an exciting, fast-paced life had come to such an abrupt and screeching end that it made her heart ache physically to consider going back to the way things were before she had met The Joker- Starbucks, no friends, no enemies, just a solitary, boring life.

It wasn't until Jayde had actually made it to her front door that she realized her apartment was still very locked and the holder of her key was still very unavailable. Those tears she had been forcing back immediately found her eyes again and spilled heavily as Jayde finally allowed a loud sob of defeat to leave her body as she pressed her back to the locked door, sinking to the floor. Alone at last, Jayde could feel that the urge to cry hard, to sit there and sob, was creeping up inside of her but the second she opened her eyes to lower her head and give in, her eyes fell onto the copper edge of a key tucked just under the corner of her doormat. Her tears dissolved in record time as she reached for it, hoping, praying that somehow Joker had already managed to escape and was waiting for her just on the other side of that door.

She knew this was not the case but still could not avoid the sinking, disappointed feeling that welled up inside of her at the sight of the apartment just as she and Joker had left it nearly seven hours prior. The small heap of black duffle bags was in the exact same place atop her bed but as Jayde stood in her bedroom doorway, staring at them, she suddenly remembered poor Dotcom, who had been following them in the Escalade seemingly years ago. It definitely explained the key under the mat as Jayde could remember Joker handing him the ring of keys when he had passed the walkie-talkie to him just minutes before they left. A small smile moved Jayde's face when she mentally thanked him for looking out for her. Joker would be proud.

The topmost bag Jayde pulled toward her once she remembered that Joker had packed her phone into one of them and upon locating it amidst the bunches of clothing, she dialed the phone number Detective Mitchell had given her.

Of course a few more questions had plagued their conversation but while Jayde was trying to assure her that she was safe in her apartment, her hands had continued to dig through the clothes until her fingers faltered upon the slick, smooth surface of a picture. She was no longer the slightest bit listening to Detective Mitchell on the phone when she pulled it from the clothing only to squeeze her eyes shut to quell the tears once again.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'm really about to fall asleep. Thanks for all your help and I'll call you tomorrow." Jayde lied, hurriedly pressing the end button to throw the phone onto the bed next to her.

The picture in her hands had to have been taken many years ago as it was rather faded, wrinkled at the corners and contained the figures of a younger Tre and Kieron, one arm around each others shoulder's as they shared a laugh. Tre's head was thrown back, his top row of teeth visible as he seeming roared with laughter while next to him, Joker's eyes were squeezed shut, his nose wrinkled in that adorable laugh that Jayde could instantly hear echoing in her memory. His scars had yet to be a part of his existence and Jayde felt her heart flutter a bit as she gazed at his young, handsome complexion. He was doubled slightly in that characteristic way he did when he tried to contain his laughter and Jayde could not help but smile to herself when she remembered how he had laughed just like he was in this picture when he had put his pet tarantula in Dotcom's bed.

She was almost positive Joker had never meant for her to find this picture but all the more, now that he was gone, Jayde was infinitely glad she had. However, the more she stared at it, the harder and more painfully her heart beat so she stood to place it in her nightstand drawer, figuring that maybe in a few days, weeks or months she would be able to look at it without wanting to cry.

Back at the bed, Jayde began pulling the bags from their place atop her bed, wanting nothing more at this point than to fall asleep, forget the day had even begun. Maybe when she woke the next morning, she would still be laying in Joker's old bed at Tre's house and he would be right out in the kitchen, reading the newspaper where she had found him in her nightmare. Some of the bags were heavier than the others but her body felt so weak at this point, Jayde was positive all of them weighed at least twenty pounds a piece. One of the lighter ones slid from the bed as her arms gave out and fell onto the floor, emptying it's contents onto the carpet. The small black bag and red medical bag were among the items now laying across the floor but as Jayde moved to put them back in the duffle, her fingers faltered across the smaller black bag, hesitating. This was one bag Jayde had not seen before and figuring that Joker was gone now and wouldn't mind her snooping, she unzipped it, only to let her face wrinkle in tears again as her rear met the comforter on her bed.

Inside the bag sat three small compacts of makeup; one white, one red, one black. Several makeup brushes lay along the bottom of the bag, some used, some still clean as though he had not even taken them out but before Jayde could put the bag away to save herself from expending more effort in tears, she noticed the glint of silver chain at the very bottom, rolling around as she shifted it in her hands. Jayde had a feeling the sight of this, whatever it was, would be enough to send her to tears again but hesitantly, she pulled it out anyway.

At first, it took a second to recognize the chain and small, warped piece of metal at the end of it, but as she placed it in her hand, her heart skipped several beats in succession when she realized the charm at the end of this necklace happened to be the bullet Jayde had so shakily pulled from Joker's side almost a week ago. At long last, Jayde fell onto her side, clutching the silver chain to her chest as a quiet sob of pain left her against the soft comforter. Joker was gone, that was true. But as Jayde lay there, crying herself to sleep, she vowed to herself and to Joker, where ever he was, that today at the precinct would not be the last time she saw him. After all…she had promised.

The End….Or is it?

**Author's note:** Ladies and Gentlemen, this IS the end…But have no fear…sequel in the making. (so don't ask me to update!) I WILL NOT leave ya hangin'…I promise.


End file.
